One Night
by FantasyandHistory
Summary: One night. That is how it all began. One night in 1952 the Tomb of Ahkmenrah arrived at the Museum of Natural History, and every night since then the whole museum has come to life. One night, Larry Daley, the new night guard, finds himself in the centre of this great secret. One night, he has to race to save the museum and its inhabitants. All one life-changing night!
1. The New Night Guard

Hello and welcome to my newest story! I love these movies! I recently watched the third one again and was reminded how good they are (maybe this has something to do with my being a nerd when it comes to history ;)) and watching them again gave me some inspiration for a new story. This is a three-part story that follows all three of the movie story lines, including a character of my own creation, Natasha :) I do not own 'Night at the Museum'! Thanks and I hope you enjoy this first part! :)

 **Part One**

 **Night at the Museum**

 **The Museum of Natural History, New York City**

* * *

One

The New Night Guard

The night guard. It hadn't been exactly what he'd had in mind, but it couldn't be that bad, right?

As promised, Cecil took him on a tour of the museum, not in great detail, but pointing out the different halls and exhibits. Larry had to admit this was pretty cool stuff – Nicky would surely love it.

"And here we are in Ancient Egypt," Cecil said as they rounded a corner into yet another hall, this one smaller. "Ah, and there's the expert herself."

A professionally yet casually dressed young woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties stood in the centre of the hall with a clipboard in hand and turned towards them as they entered the exhibit. She smiled. "Hi Cecil. How are you?"

"Oh fine Natasha, how are you?"

"I'm well thank you." Then she turned to Larry. "Hello."

"Natasha this is Larry Daley, he's the new night guard," Cecil explained.

Her face lit up. "Oh that's so exciting! Welcome to the team," she told him and extended her hand. "Natasha Bentley, I manage this exhibit."

"Thank you." Larry shook her hand.

"I'm just giving Larry here a bit of a tour," Cecil explained. "Would you tell us a bit about the exhibit?"

"Of course! Well we're standing in a recreation of the Tomb of Ahkmenrah. Up at the front there is the Pharaoh himself, along with his most prized possession: the Tablet of Ahkmenrah."

Larry nodded. "Did you find all this stuff?"

She chuckled. "No, unfortunately not. All this was uncovered by archaeologists in the 1930s and it came here to the museum in the early 1950s from the Nile Expedition. I just manage it."

"Ah. Cool." He could tell judging by her enthusiasm that she loved her job.

"It is indeed Larry, very cool," said Cecil, his eyes locked on the tablet. Larry looked at him. He snapped from his trance. "Well, moving on! Thanks Natasha."

"Bye Cecil, nice meeting you Larry."

"Thanks, you too."

* * *

Later that evening Larry called Erica to tell her and Nicky the news. Erica sounded a little skeptical about the job, but still pleased. Nicky, on the other hand, sounded ecstatic.

"Wow, that's great Dad!" he'd cried into the phone. "I can't wait to come and visit!"

His enthusiasm brought a smile to Larry's face. "Thanks buddy."

After the call Larry ironed his new uniform and hung it up, all ready to go for tomorrow.

Obviously, he hadn't known then what he was in for. The whole museum coming to life at night had not been in the job description.

 _Well, there's the first chapter, hope you enjoyed! :) And thanks so much for reading! Bye for now!_


	2. First Night

Welcome back! Here's chapter two! :)

Two

First Night

The next evening Larry reported back to the museum at five o'clock sharp, just as promised, dressed in his new uniform. There he met Cecil, Reginald, and Gus who gave him his keys, flashlight, and a list of instructions, as well as the instruction not to 'let anything in, or out.' With that they had left, leaving the entire museum in his care.

Still pondering over what they had meant by not letting anything out, Larry began to explore a bit. He flicked on some lights and began wandering around the lobby. After some of this, he came and sat at the front desk.

That was when he heard something – movements it sounded like, growing louder. As he continued to listen, they began to sound like footsteps. Larry took his flashlight from his belt and slowly left the front desk and walked beneath the archway leading into the exhibits. The sound was louder now – definitely footsteps.

He rounded the corner right as another figure did from the other side – the source of the footsteps. Both jumped. Recovering, he found that it was only Natasha Bentley, the manager of the Ancient Egypt exhibit.

"Oh, hi Larry," she said, also recovering from their scare.

"Hi Natasha. I didn't think anyone was still here."

"Oh yeah I sometimes stay a little later, I seem to work better in the evening. Cecil and the other former guards said it was alright as long as I was gone before dark, so if it's alright with you? I promise I won't be in your way, I'll just keep to my office."

"Oh yeah, of course."

"Okay, thanks! Well goodnight Larry, have a good first shift."

"Thanks, goodnight." And with that she was gone. Now he really was alone.

 _But not for long…_

* * *

Larry had had a lot of strange jobs over the years, and within those jobs had been many strange shifts. Well last night, without a doubt, had been the strangest yet.

He was the night guard of a museum that came alive every night because of a magical Ancient Egyptian tablet. And now he was stuck with it, he had agreed to carry on. It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't have to worry about getting eaten by lions, killed by Huns, or driven crazy by a mischievous monkey.

 _"It's so great that you're working here."_ Nick's words repeated themselves through his head. He'd looked so inspired, so proud, Larry thought, he couldn't disappoint him. He'd give it another try.

He took Cecil's advice and reviewed his history, going to the library and searching the internet. There was so much to learn, so many people and places and time periods to cover…

His second night, at least he was prepared for what was to come and it wasn't all a big shock. By the end of it, he was exhausted. He had focused on familiarizing himself with everything, and everyone's needs so that he could be better prepared for the nights to come. By the end, when morning finally came, he was exhausted, but also felt accomplished. He had survived another night, and was now officially the night guard.

 _Thoughts so far? Hope you enjoyed and, as always, thank you so much for reading!_


	3. Coffee For Colleagues

Hello, welcome back! :)

Three

Coffee For Colleagues

The next morning Larry saw Rebecca, the docent, and Natasha leading a tour of schoolchildren around the museum.

"Now this museum was originally dedicated to that man there," Rebecca told them, gesturing to the statue of Teddy. "President Theodore Roosevelt."

"He absolutely loved history," continued Natasha. "And believed that the more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future."

The tour continued on, Larry tagging along. Rebecca and Natasha led them into the room where the Sacagawea, Lewis, and Clark exhibit was.

"And now we've reached Rebecca's area of expertise," said Natasha. "Take it away Rebecca."

Rebecca smiled and gestured to the statue of Sacagawea. "She was one of the most famous trackers in history. Sacagawea led Lewis and Clark on their expedition to find the Pacific Ocean. Now you've probably heard the saying 'actions speak louder than words'…"

Larry put up his hand. She stopped talking and looked at him, appearing to notice him for the first time. "Yes, Mr. Daley?"

"Was she deaf?" he asked.

"Was she deaf?" she repeated, looking confused. "No, no she wasn't."

"It's just that she seems a little unresponsive," he said.

"That's because she's a statue."

Larry realized how that had sounded. Of course, they didn't know what happened here at night. He nodded. "Yes, right, never mind." And with that he separated himself from the tour.

A little while later, he was just preparing to leave when he met up with Natasha along the way.

"Hey Larry, enjoy the tour?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was interesting. Sorry for barging in."

"Oh-" She waved away his apology. "Don't worry about it. How's the new job going?"

"Oh, you know, pretty good so far. I think I'm slowly getting the hang of it."

"That's great! This is a great place to work, I love working here! It must get kind of lonely though, wandering the empty halls by yourself all night. I guess it's kind of hard to get bored though, with all the exhibits to check out."

 _You have no idea._ "Yeah, no, there's never a dull moment that's for sure. You know, I was wondering, I'm going to be here every night and I'd like to know more about what I'm guarding. I have lots of questions, so I don't know maybe when you have a break could I buy you a cup of coffee? I mean purely just a colleague-to-colleague information download kind of coffee."

She chuckled. "Sounds good, I never tire of talking about history – or coffee." She looked down at her watch. "My break's in twenty minutes, so if you don't mind waiting."

"Yeah, no, thank you. See you in twenty."

"So how long have you worked at the museum?" he asked her as they headed for Central Park, cups of coffee in hand.

"Coming up to four years."

"Wow, and all in the same exhibit?"

"Yeah." She grinned. "I've always had a fascination with Ancient Egypt, I just think it's so interesting. Honestly I could spend all day staring at that exhibit." She chuckled. "My ex-boyfriend used to joke that I was cheating on him with the Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ahkmenrah cause I spent so much time there. He didn't last long after that." Then she shook her head. "Anyways, what about you? Have you ever been a night guard before?"

"No, this is a first. Well I'm divorced, and I have a ten-year-old son, so I needed to find a more steady situation. But that's pretty much it."

She nodded. "So, what can I tell you about the museum?"

* * *

When evening came around he once again wandered the main lobby, waiting for the sun to set and the magic to happen. While he was waiting he began fiddling with different objects at the front desk: pencils, paper, even the intercom.

 _"Hello?"_ He spoke into the microphone, reacting when his voice echoed throughout the empty building. _"Hello… Helloooooo! I AM LARRY."_

He had been speaking into it for about five minutes before he realized he wasn't alone. As soon as he saw her standing there he jumped to his feet, and slammed the intercom phone back down onto the cradle – messily.

"Natasha!" he cried, extremely embarrassed. "I-I forgot you were here." He had to keep in mind that she stayed later than the rest of the staff.

She looked as though she were trying not to laugh, but all in good humour. "Yeah, I was in my office. I'm just leaving. We're passing: my day's just ending, and yours is just starting. Goodnight Larry."

"Goodnight." Still recovering from the embarrassment, he began to put his plan into action. His meeting with Natasha as well as his own research had inspired him to take a bit of a different approach. He brought along a bunch of objects to help him, such as a remote-control car to which he could tie a bone for Rexy, a lighter for the Neanderthals, a huge ball of gum for the Easter Island Head, and some magic tricks for Attila and the Huns. After a successful night, his most successful yet, he began to realize that maybe this job wouldn't be so bad after all.

 _Thanks so much for reading! Bye for now!_


	4. The Museum's Secret

Hello, here's the next chapter for you! :)

Four

The Museum's Secret

It was Friday. He had been there almost a week and it was going incredibly well, the smoothest it had gone yet.

At around eight o'clock Larry's phone began to ring. "Hello?"

 _"Hi Larry, its Natasha. Sorry to bother you but I realized I left a folder on my desk with a bunch of my work notes in it and I was wondering, if it's not too much trouble, if I could come by and pick it up?"_

"Oh." He didn't know how to respond. He didn't see why not, however, she was in for a surprise, to say the least. Should he warn her? "Oh yeah, of course, no problem. I'll be here."

 _"Okay great, thank you,"_ she said, sounding relieved. "I won't be long. And I have my own key so I can let myself in."

"Okay just make sure you lock the door when you come in."

 _"Okay, thank you. I'll be there in about twenty minutes."_

"Okay see you then." He was glad everything seemed to be running smoothly, better she see it now instead of the chaos he had witnessed on his first night here. That being said he'd better go and make sure everything was in check.

He had been planning on meeting her in the lobby, but he lost track of time. He was by the Hall of African Mammals when he heard a woman's scream. Maybe he should have warned her after all.

He took off running towards the lobby, passing by many exhibits who were out of their cases wandering and halls. He bounded around the corner just as someone did from the other side. It was Natasha. Both jumped, she shrieking, most likely thinking he was one of the living exhibits. When she saw that it was him she grabbed his arms in an iron grip, looking terrified. "Larry!" she cried. "T-the m-museum – the exhibits – t-they, they're all-"

"I know," he said, trying to calm her down.

"Alive!" she cried.

"I know, and it's okay," he tried to assure her.

She stared at him. "How are you not freaking out!?"

And so he explained, explained that this was an every night occurrence, and assured her that he had been just as shocked when he'd realized. Slowly but surely, she began to calm down. Jaw agape, she stared around her in wonder at all of the exhibits walking around freely.

"Impossible," she whispered. "Incredible. This is amazing!" she scoffed.

"You want me to show you around, introduce you to some of them?" Larry offered.

"O-okay." The notes left in her office were long forgotten now.

"Good evening Lawrence!" called Teddy as he rode by on the back of Tex, tipping his hat.

"Hey Teddy," Larry called back. Teddy and Tex came to a stop before them. "Teddy this is my friend Natasha, she also works here, and Natasha this is Teddy Roosevelt himself."

"It's an honour to meet you Sir," she said.

"A pleasure my dear." The former president shook her hand.

"He's got a bit of a crush on Sacagawea," Larry whispered as they left the former president.

She raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's too bad though, cause she's stuck behind the glass of her case listening to Lewis and Clark argue all night every night." He led her down halls and around corners towards the Hall of Miniatures. On the way, they passed by the Hall of African Mammals. "We've got to pass by here quick," he told her. "Otherwise – whoa!"

Too late. The lions had already seen them and were now bounding towards the gate. Just as they lunged forward and Larry was about to pull Natasha aside, the male lion stuck his nose through the bars of the gate and nudged her hand. Gingerly, she reached her hand through the bars and began stroking their fur. One by one, each of the great cats began to purr as she rubbed their faces and scratched them behind the ears. They even let her rub their bellies and flopped over onto their backs. She giggled.

"Wow, you should stay every night," Larry said, and they continued.

"Wow," she breathed when they reached the Hall of Miniatures. She watched the little civilizations moving with life.

"Ah, well lookie here. Who's your lady friend Gigantor?" called a voice.

At first, Natahsa didn't know who was speaking. But then she followed Larry's gaze down to the floor where one of the miniatures stood. It was Jedediah.

"Hey Jed, this is Natasha Bentley, she works here."

"Well how-de-do there Miss Bentley," the frontiersman said, tipping his hat.

"Good day Larry!" another voice called, that which belonged to one of the miniatures from the Ancient Roman diorama. Octavius joined them.

"General Octavius, this is my friend, Natasha," Larry introduced.

The little man looked up at her and smiled. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance My Lady," he said, removing his helmet and giving a low bow. This made Jedediah roll his eyes.

She giggled. "Nice to meet you guys too."

"Will you be here often?" Octavius asked with a large smile.

"Um, I don't know. I'm usually here during the day."

His face noticeably fell. "Well, I do hope we meet again."

"Wow," she breathed as they continued on. "All this time working here, and I had no idea." Then she spun around to face him, her whole face lighting up. "Larry this is amazing! Incredible! You have the best job ever!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, well, it's harder than it looks."

Speaking of, as they were passing by the Hall of African Mammals again, who should appear but Dexter, the little troublemaker himself.

Larry stopped Natasha. "Careful."

She seemed confused. "Larry, he's a capuchin monkey. They're known for their gentle nature."

"Oh not this guy," Larry said, staring Dexter down. "He's as troublesome as they get. My first night he urinated on me and bit my nose!"

But Dexter only chittered and smiled, hopping up onto a nearby bench and then gently onto Natasha's shoulders.

"Dexter, leave her alone," Larry ordered.

"Larry, relax," she said, helping Dexter down and watching as he ran off. "See, perfectly harmless."

Larry was shaking his head. "Unbelievable," he muttered.

"So wait," she said as they continued. "If everything here comes to life – does that mean that Ahkmenrah is alive too?"

"Yeah, sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Okay let me rephrase: yes, he's alive, but he's not out and about like everyone else. Here, come on, I'll show you."

Natasha had to admit she was a little disturbed to find the young pharaoh still trapped in his sarcophagus, yelling helplessly. Poor guy, that must be very claustrophobic.

"So, he just stays there?" she asked, slowly stepping closer.

"Yeah. Teddy says he's always been kept inside the sar – sara-"

"Sarcophagus."

"Yeah that. So I just leave him."

"Huh." She moved her focus up to the tablet hanging behind him on the wall. "I've read all about it, all that it's supposedly capable of, but I had no idea-" She shook her head. "-That it was real."

Going to the Ancient Egypt exhibit reminded her of the notes she had left in her office, the whole reason she had returned here tonight. She went and retrieved them, Larry coming with her in case she ran into any more threatening exhibits, such as the Huns. Along the way they ran into Rexy who was still chasing his bone. Natasha found him adorable, acting like a big, cuddly dog.

"Well, I'd better go," she said, putting her notes in her bag. "It's getting late. Thank you for showing me around, this is incredible."

He nodded. "Oh, and, no one else knows about this, so–"

She smiled. "The secret's safe with me."

 _I hope you're enjoying, thanks so much for reading! :)_


	5. A Turn For the Worst

Here's the next chapter!

Five

A Turn For the Worst

Everything had been going so well when suddenly, it all went from bad to worse. First, chaos had settled amongst the exhibits: first, he had forgotten to lock up the lions, so there were a bunch of animals roaming freely. Then, Attila managed to see though his magic tricks, and he'd almost had all of his limbs ripped off. Dexter stole his keys again, and while he had been distracted with putting out the fire the Neanderthals had started, the monkey had used the keys to open a window. One of the Neanderthals had wandered off and seen this, and had been outside when the sun had risen, consequently turning to dust.

This, of course, hadn't gone unnoticed when McPhee had come in to work, the absence of one of the Neanderthal statues. McPhee had declared him fired, but thankfully he had managed to get one more night's trial.

He hadn't realized Nicky had come in that morning on his way to school, only to see him get fired. However, he had ensured him that it had just been a misunderstanding, and had persuaded Nicky to come to work with him.

As if that all hadn't been enough. Then he'd unintentionally offended Rebecca by trying to tell her about the museum coming to life, but she had thought he was making fun of her and her obsession with Sacagawea.

And now Cecil, Gus, and Reginald had stolen the tablet. Just as he was about to share the museum's secret with Nicky, it had all fallen apart. Now, here they were, trapped in the Ancient Egypt exhibit. It all seemed like a blur.

Larry tried to stay calm for Nicky's sake, but it wasn't working so well. He was out of ideas.

"Teddy!" he yelled. "Teddy if you're out there I need you pal!" He gripped the gate rails tightly in his hands, awaiting any sort of answering to his call. At last, he heard the clicking of a horse's hooves and the former president rode up on the back of his trusty steed.

"Someone called?" he grinned. "Theodore Roosevelt, at your service."

"Whoa," breathed Nick.

"Teddy I need you to help get us out of here, break down the gate, something!" cried Larry in desperation.

Teddy shook his head. "Can't do it man. This is your moment."

Larry was shocked. He wasn't going to do this now of all times, was he? "Will you save the lectures, please? I'm not you, okay, I didn't build the Panama Canal, I wasn't President of the United States."

"Actually," sighed Teddy, removing his glasses. "I never did any of those things, Teddy Roosevelt did. I was made in a mannequin factory. I never shot any wild beasts, I'm not even brave enough to tell that beautiful woman I love her. You've got to finish the job this time, you can't quit. I'm made of wax Larry, what are you made of?" With that, he and Tex took off.

"Hey, wait a minute, wait!" Larry cried. "That's it?!"

"That's it!"

"Dad!" Nicky suddenly gasped. Larry turned to see the two giant jackal statues who guarded Ahkmenrah's tomb threatening them with their spears. At the far end of the tomb, the pharaoh yelled for someone to free him.

Larry got an idea.

* * *

Natasha was sitting at the bust stop waiting for her ride home when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Taking it out she found she had a text message. It was from Larry.

 _Need help. Any chance you can come to the museum? Urgent._

Pocketing her phone again and without another thought she left the bus stop and began heading back to the museum, a gentle snow beginning to swirl around her. She was about fifteen minutes away.

She cut through Central Park. As she got closer she saw a strange sight: animals running loose in the park, as well as people, all of which she recognized to be some of the exhibits. They had escaped. She broke out into a run. Something had obviously gone terribly wrong.

When at last she arrived, she found the museum in a state of total chaos. She hurried through the halls, searching for Larry.

"Larry?" she called. "Larry?"

When she reached Ancient Egypt a baffling sight met her eyes: a huge stone had been thrown out the entrance, along with the gate, and it had smashed into a display case against the wall opposite. Turning into the exhibit she found the tablet gone and Ahkmenrah's sarcophagus open and empty.

Hearing a deep rumble she looked up and froze when she found herself staring into the faces of the two giant jackal-headed statues who guarded the entrance to the tomb. They stared down at her for a moment before both stretched out their arms, pointing to the left. She caught on. "Thank you!" she called, and took off in that direction.

Finally she found Larry by the lobby, with the Huns, appearing to be comforting Attila. They seemed to have come to some sort of understanding.

"Larry!" she called, rushing over.

"Natasha!" He ran over too. "Oh thank goodness. Thank you for coming."

"No worries. What's going on?"

"Long story, but basically, Cecil and the others stole the tablet and we've got to get it back."

Her eyes grew wide, but there obviously wasn't much time for asking questions.

Two boys stood with him, neither of which she recognized. One was younger and had curly hair and wore a flannel shirt with jeans, and the other, older, was dressed in Ancient Egyptian costume. Wait…

"Oh," Larry said. "Natasha this is Ah-"

"Ahkmenrah!" she cried before he could finish, her face lighting up with excitement. "Fourth King of the Fourth Kings." They all stared back at her. "Sorry."

"So you're the one who has been taking such good care of me over the last few years," said Ahk with a smile. "I am forever in your debt."

"And this is my son, Nick," Larry said, putting an arm around him.

"Hi Nick."

"Hi." He smiled and waved.

They were interrupted then and reminded of the chaos happening down in the lobby.

"Come on guys!" Larry cried as he watched the battleground that was the lobby. "Guys! GUYS!" But it was too loud for them to hear.

"QUIET!" Everyone was silenced, however, at the shout from the Easter Island Head.

"Thanks," said Larry. "Now this here is King Ahkmenrah. His tablet is what brings you to life every night. And those old night watchmen, they stole it. Now we need to find those guards and get it back, and we need to do it before morning. Civil War guys, head over to the Planetarium Wing," he instructed. He then gestured to the statue of Columbus. "My explorer friend who's name escapes me…"

"Columbus," Nick whispered.

"Oh, Columbus, right! I'm sorry, there's no nameplate. Columbus take the Neanderthals and do a sweep from Invertebrates all the way to Reptiles. Jed and Octavius, their van's parked out back, I need you to go take care of it."

"Oh no, no," began Jed, shaking his head firmly. "Oh no I ain't working with Toga Boy, no sir."

"Romans work alone," agreed Octavius.

"Guys come on!" cried Larry. "Take away the fact that you both were born two thousand years apart, you guys aren't that different. You're both great leaders, and you just want what's best for your people right?" They nodded in agreement. He turned to the Civil War men again. "Civil War dudes, you guys are brothers for God's sakes, you have got to stop fighting. North wins, slavery's bad, sorry. But South you guys get a lot of cool stuff, don't get me wrong, so just chill." He shook his head. "Without that tablet, all this, this whole coming to life at night thing, it all ends. Now I don't want to let that happen but I need your help. We can get this done but we need to do it together. So who's with me? Who's with me?!"

Cheers rose up through the crowd in response. Larry smiled. "Alright. Let's do this people – and animals, and weird, faceless, puppet-creatures, come on let's do this!"

 _And we all know what happens next! :) Well, that's the end... of Part One! Sorry if it feels kind of choppy so far - I was trying to write scenes with my character in them so I could introduce her to the story. Hopefully it won't be so choppy anymore, and will flow better! So without further ado, onto Part Two! Thanks so much for reading! :)_


	6. Change

Here's chapter six!

 **Part Two**

 **Battle of the Smithsonian**

 **The Smithsonian, Washington D.C.**

* * *

Six

Change

 _Two years later..._

After school Nick Daley walked over to the Museum of Natural History.

"Hi Rebecca," he said to the docent sitting at the front desk.

She looked up and smiled. "Hello Nick."

"Is Natasha here?" he asked.

"Yes. She'll either be in her office or in Ancient Egypt."

"Okay thanks."

He headed first to her exhibit, but found it only occupied by people visiting the museum. So he headed to her office. The door was ajar and he knocked.

She was organizing some papers at her desk and looked up when he knocked, smiling when she saw him. "Oh hey Nick. How are you?"

He smiled back. "Good, you?"

"Oh, good. Just decided to stop in for a visit?"

"Yeah, I pass by here on my way home to my mom's from school, so I thought I'd come say hi."

"Well I'm glad you did. How's school going?"

"Oh pretty good. History's my best class."

She smiled. "It was always my best too." There was a pause before she asked, "how's your dad doing?"

"Oh, he's good, I actually haven't seen him in a while cause he's been really busy with work. They just released their newest product so it's been kind of crazy there."

She nodded. "Well, tell him I say hi when you see him."

"I will." He really liked Natasha, and he could tell his dad did too, so he had been disappointed when they stopped going on dates due to his dad's new company. 'Too busy with work' was his excuse. That always seemed to be his excuse now. Nick thought that maybe his dad was a little nervous about starting a new relationship when his last one had failed. But his mom had found happiness with someone else, so why shouldn't his dad?

* * *

"It's done. They leave tomorrow morning. It's over." With that, McPhee left, leaving Larry there alone as the sun set.

He couldn't believe it - half of these guys were being shipped away to the Federal Archives at the Smithsonian. He had to do something. But what?

He was pulled from his thoughts then when he felt something nudge his shoulder. Turning around, he saw that it was Rexy, always the first to wake up.

"Hey, hey buddy," he said, rubbing the T-Rex's nose. "How're you doing?" Rexy shook his tail and reached for the bag in Larry's hands. "Oh, do you think I've got something in here for you? Maybe a rope-" He withdrew the thick rope he had brought. Rexy grabbed one end between his teeth and began swinging it around, Larry fighting to hang on. Then Rexy gave a great shake of his head, sending Larry flying across the room, landing near the pile of crates, which one by one began to open.

"Larry?"

He turned to see Natasha, just leaving for the day, come into the room.

He scrambled to his feet. "Oh, hey Natasha. How are you?" Why did he always get into embarrassing situations right as she entered the room?

She smiled. "I'm well, thanks, you? How's your business going?"

"Oh, good, yeah, pretty good."

"It's funny, actually, I saw you on TV the other day, advertising your latest product."

"Oh, yeah." He gestured to all the crates. "So, this, huh?"

She sighed. "Yeah. I talked to McPhee over and over again but there's really nothing I could do. He said it's the board's decision."

"Lawrence!" called Teddy, riding over on the back of Tex. "Good to see you lad!"

"Yeah, you too Teddy," Larry said, shaking his hand.

"Ah, it would seem that the Guardian of Brooklyn has returned," said Ahk.

"Hey Ahk. Listen, McPhee told me what's going on here, I had no idea."

"Indeed, a lot has happened since your last visit," explained Teddy. "One would say that-"

He was interrupted then by Larry's phone beeping. "Sorry, just a second," Larry said, checking it.

"Hey! Anyone? A little help over here!" came Jed's muffled voice then. Larry walked over to a smaller crate and lifted the lid, finding all of the Western and Roman miniatures.

"Well, lookie here. If it isn't Mr. Big-in-the-Britches himself," said Jed when he saw Larry. "Come back just in time to see us off."

"Yeah I heard. Listen, Jed, I don't even know how this happened-" Again his phone went off.

"Well, maybe the answers on that little buzzing box in your hand. You weren't here Gigantor, that's how it happened!"

"The truth is Larry, without you there's no one here to speak on our behalf during business hours," explained Octavius. "There is Lady Natasha, of course, but with her focus being on the Ancient Egypt exhibit she can't be there for us all. She's done all she can for us."

The Neanderthals began grunting all at once, as if to emphasize his point.

"Hey guys, it's okay," Larry assured them. "I call the board in the morning. I've got some pull now, I'll handle this. We're going to be okay."

"'We?'" repeated Jed. "Do you hear him? There ain't been a 'we' here since you put us on the 'pay no mind' list, and that's a cold place to be boy."

"Larry what's done is done," insisted Octavius. "Even the glory of Rome had to come to an end."

Larry sighed. "Well, maybe it won't be so bad." Attila spoke accusingly. "Yes, you make a good point," Larry agreed. "But this is the Smithsonian we're talking about here." Dexter chittered. "Dexter, you don't know that."

"You're missing the point Gigantor, they're shipping us out!" cried Jed.

"Larry I know that you're trying to make us feel better," said Octatvius. "I can tell that you're genuinely, slightly bothered. But it's never going to be the same, all of us together here in this place."

"It ain't never going to be home boy," sighed Jed.

"Jedediah please," said Teddy. "Lawrence, these are emotional times for all of us, but it is our last night together as a family, and I don't want to see it squandered in self-pity. So who will join me for one final stroll through these hallowed halls?"

The others agreed and wandered off, some giving Larry glares on their way by.

"Don't take it too personally," Natasha said. "They just missed you. We all did."

At the end of the night, everyone was getting back into their crates.

"It's almost dawn Lawrence," said Teddy.

"Yeah, so where's your crate Teddy?"

"I won't be making this journey Lawrence. It seems myself, Rexy, and a few of the signature exhibits will be staying here, for now."

"Without the tablet?"

"In truth Lawrence, Ahkmenrah's tablet will be remaining here with him. They're going without the tablet my friend. I am afraid this night is their last."

"You didn't tell them."

"Sometimes, it is more noble to tell a small lie than deliver a painful truth," Teddy said, watching sadly as Sac stepped into her crate.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Larry.

"I shall do my best." Teddy walked over to where Tex stood. "And who knows? Sometimes the greatest changes brings about even greater opportunity. Look at you Lawrence, you left this place and created quite a life for yourself."

"Yeah, yeah I guess so."

"I should hope you do more than guess my friend. You're a captain of industry, the world at your fingertips. Seems to me you have everything that you wanted."

"Yeah, no, I know."

Teddy gave a sad smile. "No you don't. If I may lad, a word of advice: the key to happiness, true happiness, is-"

 _Beep beep!_ He was cut off again by the buzz of Larry's phone.

"Sorry, let me just check-" Larry pulled out his phone and checked it. "Sorry, right, so the key to happiness is," he said, turning back to Teddy.

But the sun had already risen, turning him back to wax.

 _And so Part Two begins! I hope you enjoyed, thanks so much for reading! :)_


	7. To the Smithsonian!

Hello! Welcome back! :)

Seven

To the Smithsonian!

"So there's nothing you can do?" cried Nick in disbelief that night as they arrived home. "They're gone?"

"I wish there was man, I'm telling you I tried everything. I called the board, I talked to McPhee. But they were shipped off this morning."

"This is a lot of food Dad," Nick commented while inspecting their take-out dinner. Then he grinned. "Did you see Natasha at the museum? Did you invite her for dinner?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh uh yeah I saw her but no Ed from work is coming by I thought I told you. We just have to go over a couple of work things."

"So you're working tonight?" Nick said in obvious disappointment.

"Hey I used to work every night, remember?"

"Yeah but that was when you had the coolest job in the world."

"Yeah well 'cool' doesn't pay for all your video games or whatever," Larry said as he went to go answer the phone which had begun ringing. He didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"

" _Gigantor! It's me!_ "

Larry stopped. "Jed?" There were sounds of commotion in the background. "Jed, what are you doing? How did you dial the phone?"

" _Long story_!" cried Jed, sounding panicked. " _That brazen little monkey stole the tablet and now we're in a world of hurt boy_!" Jed raised his voice to be heard over the shouts and crashes.

"What's going on?" Larry demanded.

 _"Kahmunrah!"_

"Wha - Kahmunrah?"

" _Ahkmenrah's big brother, and trust me, he's not a friendly! Repeat, not a friendly! HEY!_ " Jed's voice broke off and joined the commotion then, and it sounded like there was a struggle taking place.

"Jed? Jed?" cried Larry, but the line went dead.

"What was that about?" asked Nick.

"I don't know." Larry sighed and then grabbed his car keys. "Come on, I'm going to drop you off at your mom's."

"What's going on Dad?" Nick asked as they left the apartment.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." They headed down to the parkade and to their car. "Here," Larry said, passing Nick his cellphone as he pulled the car out of the parkade. "Call Natasha."

Nick did so and dialed her number. "Hi Natasha, it's Nick," he said when she answered.

" _Oh hi Nick, how are you?"_ she asked him.

Before he could answer Larry snatched the phone from him and held it up to his own ear. "Natasha? Hi it's me."

"You're not supposed to talk on the phone and drive at the same time!" chided Nick, but Larry ignored him.

"Listen, I have a huge favour to ask of you..."

* * *

Larry arrived in D.C. late the next morning. He headed straight to the Smithsonian.

"Okay buddy," he said, speaking into the phone to Nick. "I'm here."

 _"Have you found Natasha?"_

"Not yet. Now McPhee said the Federal Archives are in the Smithsonian. So where exactly am I going?"

 _"That's the thing Dad, the Smithsonian is actually nineteen different museums all laid out around the National Mall, from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. They've got everything there, there's actually some really cool stuff."_

"Nicky, please focus! Which museum are the Archives in?"

 _"Not in, under,"_ Nick clarified. " _It looks like in runs underneath the entire Smithsonian."_

"So if Ahkmenrah's tablet's down there-"

 _"The biggest museum in the world is coming to life at night," finished Nick. "What exactly is your plan here Dad?"_

"Don't worry about it."

 _"You have no plan, do you?"_ Nick said knowingly.

"Nicolas, I have a very good, highly-thought out plan."

 _"You have no plan."_

"Yes, I have no plan. I'll call you when I'm in."

Arriving at the huge courtyard, he scanned the area for Natasha. After a few minutes of looking, he heard the call of his name.

"Larry!" There she was, approaching him.

"Hey, thanks for doing this," he said giving her a hug.

"Yeah, I care about these guys too." She hugged him back. "So what exactly is going on?"

"Uh, well," sighed Larry as they made their way towards the Air and Space building. "Dexter stole the tablet and brought the whole museum to life. Jed mentioned something about Kahmunrah-"

"Kahmunrah," she repeated.

"Yeah Jed said he was Ahk's brother or something. I was thinking you could tell me all you know."

She nodded. "Kahmunrah was Ahk's older brother, firstborn and rightful heir to the throne of Egypt, but there was a lot of favouritism in their family and their parents did everything for Ahk and ended up ignoring Kahmunrah, even passing over the throne to the second son. Obviously, that really angered Kahmunrah, and he was banished for making threats against the throne. Both he and Akh died at young ages when he waged war trying to reclaim the throne."

"Wow."

"Yeah. He was known for his short temper, greed, and violent tendencies. He was basically the opposite of his brother and, well, you know Ahk."

"So an angry, evil, grudge-holding ancient Pharaoh, great," sighed Larry as they entered the building. "Excuse me," he said to an employee who was leading a tour. "Could you tell me how we could get to the Federal Archives?"

The woman paused in her explanation to her tour group to answer his question. "Of course, just be a historical document worthy of storing for all eternity." She chuckled a little at their obvious confusion. "I'm just kidding. I'm sorry Sir but the Archives are underground and they're a secure area."

"Really, like totally secure? Okay, thank you." With that he and Natasha took off, wandering through Air and Space.

"So," she said. "How are we going to get down there? I guess avoid anyone in blue." She nodded to the security guards, easily noticeable in their royal blue uniforms.

They left Air and Space soon afterwards and headed across the courtyard to one of the other buildings. They heard over the intercom that the museum would be closing in an hour.

They crossed the courtyard over to the Smithsonian castle. The sun had begun to set.

At the far end of the room sat an exhibit that immediately caught their attention.

"'The Gate of Kahmunrah'," Larry said, reading the sign.

"The tablet is the key," Nat explained. "He tried to use it to open the Underworld and take over Egypt."

"Nice," said Larry, leaning closer.

"Hey!" A sudden voice made them jump. They turned around to see one of the blue-clad security guards. "What are you doing? No touching."

"No no, I wasn't going to touch it," Larry began, but the guard cut him off.

"You were, I could tell. You know why? Cause I stand there and wait all day for some little girl like you to come and put her precious, nail-polished hands all over the exhibit."

Larry was a little taken aback. "Okay..."

"No touching."

"Okay, sorry."

"That's what this rope here is for," the guard said, tapping the thick rope that enclosed the exhibit. "No going over this line." He said this as though he were speaking to a little kid.

"I just wanted to look at it-"

The guard turned to Nat. "Hey lady, why don't you tell your boyfriend not to touch the exhibits, maybe he'll listen to you. This is a museum. Know what that means? No. Touching."

"He's not my boyfriend," Nat said. "Look-" She took Larry's arm, about to drag him away. This was only wasting time, time they didn't have. "We're sorry, we just wanted to look-"

"Well go ahead and see what happens when you touch it."

"Oh so you're threatening me now - Brandon?" Larry said, reading off the guard's nametag.

"It's Brundon," he corrected.

"Brundon?" Larry repeated.

"Never heard the name before?"

"No... Did they run out of 'U's on your nameplate maker?"

"I don't know did they run out of jokes at the interesting jokes store you shop at?"

"So are you threatening me - _Brundon_?"

"I don't know, am I?" He gestured to the flashlight stowed in his belt. This led to him and Larry discussing which model of flashlight they liked better, until he said, "alright do me a huge favour: shove your hands into your pockets, put your attitude way down, and also, be nice to people." With that he stalked off.

"Hey Brundon," Larry called, stopping him as he walked away. "So just to be clear, I can't do this, right?" He reached over the rope and laid his hand on the front of the gate.

"Okay, that's actually crazy," said Brundon, storming over and withdrawing his flashlight.

"Larry, we don't have time for this," Nat hissed.

As Brundon reached out his flashlight to Larry, Larry grabbed his arm and wrapped it around his head, putting him in a headlock. Nat gasped.

"Listen Brandon, you think you know what it takes to be a guard? Trust me, you don't even know the meaning of the word. I was a guard, and I have seen things you couldn't possibly imagine. Now drop the flashlight."

Brundon let go, releasing the headlock. Larry took his flashlight and twirled it around, before giving it back.

"We cool?"

"Yeah... That was actually pretty cool what you just did..."

"You were just doing your job. Now we've got to go." Nat followed him as he began walking away.

"By the way, you two make a cute couple,'' Brundon told them.

Both exchanged a glance before both began talking over one another. "Oh no, we're not, actually we're-" But they didn't have time to explain.

"Was that really necessary?" she hissed as they headed away.

Larry held out his hand in which he held Brundon's ID badge.

"Ah." She nodded, impressed.

They headed over to the authorized entrance, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and slid the card through the reader. There was a beep and a click, and the door opened.

They began wandering through the staff area, but not for long before a couple of guards rounded the corner towards them. They quickly ducked into a locker room.

"I've got an idea," she suddenly said, nodding to the locker full of blue security guard uniforms.

Larry quickly changed out of his suit and into a uniform. "Okay, now if anyone asks I'm here to make sure the shipment from New York arrives safely and you're the guard taking me around."

He nodded. "Good plan." They headed back out into the hall. Larry called Nick. "Okay buddy, we're in."

" _Did you find Natasha_?"

"Yeah, she's here."

"Hi Nick," she called.

" _Hi! Okay great where are you?_ "

"Northeast corridor of the Castle, just off the Commons. I need you to talk us to the Archives."

 _"Okay, so at the end of the hall, turn right and there should be a staircase coming up on your left."_

"Got it."

 _"Now it's kind of a maze down there, the underground tunnels connect a bunch of different buildings. It could get complicated."_

"We'd better hurry, we've only got about half an hour till sunset," said Natasha.

Larry nodded and they entered the stairwell just as Nick had instructed. But when Nick tried to give them the next direction, the cell phone reception started to go fuzzy.

"Nick?"

 _"D-Dad... Can y-you... hear-"_

They were cut off then by a door opening. They quickly ducked out of the stairwell.

Wandering down the hall they eventually came to a door with an _Access to Archives_ sign. They went inside and Larry had to present Brundon's ID, imitating his voice as well for added effect. It must have been pretty convincing because the door clicked and opened, letting them through.

They were in.

 _I love it when Nick says 'the biggest museum in the world is coming alive' it always gives me chills! Haha thanks so much for reading, hope you're enjoying! :) Bye for now!_


	8. The Biggest Museum in the World

Hello! Here's the next chapter for you! Hope you enjoy fellow NATM fans! :)

Eight

The Biggest Museum in the World Coming to Life

"Okay," Larry said, flicking on his flashlight. "Where are you guys?"

Nick had been right, it was kind of a maze down there, especially in the dark. They came across a large, lone crate. Larry opened it and both jumped back when long tentacles popped out. Nope, not the one they were looking for.

They passed wax statues of General Custer, and Amelia Earhart, all covered up, stored away, archived.

"Larry," Natasha suddenly cried. Going through a closed off area, a shocking sight met their eyes. About a dozen armed Ancient Egyptian guards stood holding spears facing a large metal crate, in which were their friends. A man in elegant costume stood at the centre of the guards, appearing to be the leader. It appeared that last night they had been in the process of locking the guys up, but then the sun had risen and frozen them all like that.

"Oh my God," mumbled Larry.

Carefully, they wove through the Egyptians and over to the crate, who's door was open just a crack. Peering inside they saw their friends, attempting to defend themselves. Towards the back of the crate they saw Dexter standing with the tablet.

"You little troublemaker," Larry hissed, pointing a finger accusingly at the monkey. "I'm going to deal with you later."

They only had a few minutes left until sundown. Larry flicked on the lights and, taking one of the guard's spears reached into the crate and plucked the tablet from Dexter's grasp. Just as he got it though, it began to glow, signalling that sundown had come.

All at once everything came to life again. The leader shouted orders to his guards in Ancient Egyptian and they closed and locked the crate. Then his eyes fell upon Larry and Natasha, looking confused as to how these people had gotten there, and now had the tablet.

He began questioning them in his ancient language, and when that didn't work he tried French. Finally he tried English.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" demanded Larry.

But Nat knew the answer. "Kahmunrah!" The man, Kahmunrah, had just been opening his mouth to answer. Now all eyes turned to her in surprise. "Sorry," she said. "I've read a lot about you."

"Have you?" A smiled formed on his lips. He reached for her hand and aimed to kiss it, but she drew it back sharply. His face fell. "I am Kahmunrah, great king of the great kings. And from the deepest, darkest depths of ancient history, I have come back to life!" he announced, emphasizing the last few words and shouting them although their faces were only inches apart.

Larry and Nat only nodded.

"Perhaps you did not hear what I just said. I, a centuries-old Ancient Egyptian pharaoh, was dead, but now I have come back to life!"

Again, they nodded. "Yeah, no, we heard," Larry said. "We got that. Welcome back."

Kahmunrah was still baffled by their reaction, rather lack thereof. "W-what, who are you?"

"Larry Daley," Larry said extending his hand, only to draw it back when this was met by spears. "Of Daley Devices, it's up in New York. This is my friend, Natasha Bentley. It's funny, we actually know your brother."

"Oh, do you, you know baby brother. The favourite son."

"Yeah, he's a good kid."

"Oh isn't he just? Mother and Father always gave him the best of everything, and I do mean everything. Including the throne, the throne which was rightfully mine!" He was obviously agitated by this. "But, now begins the Age of Kahmunrah, because I have come back to - never mind just give me the tablet," he demanded, cutting himself off.

"Don't do it Gigantor!" came Jed's voice from within the closed crate. The others began shouting in agreement.

"Silence!" ordered Kahmunrah. "Don't make me come in there." He turned back to Larry and Nat. "Look, that tablet is more powerful than you, Larry Daley of Daley Devices and you Natasha Bentley can possibly imagine. Bringing things to life is just a mere glimpse of its power. With it, I shall unlock the gate to the underworld and bring forth my army from the Land of the Dead." As he spoke he approached them, making them back up into the spears of the guards. "So, if it's not too much trouble-" He said something in Ancient Egyptian and the guards rose their spears. "Hand it over."

There was a moment of tense silence before Larry placed the tablet in his hands. "There you go."

"Wise decision," Kahumunrah said with a smug smile, then ordering the guards the lower their weapons.

Natasha was about to protest Larry's decision to hand it over, but thought that there must be good reason for it. He must have had a plan.

"Yeah I'm sorry, I just thought you wanted the cube but," Larry began, his words trailing off.

Kahmunrah stopped and turned around. "The Cube?" he repeated, looking utterly confused. Nat was just as confused.

"You know, the Cube, the Cube of Rubik," Larry explained. "The one that turns all who oppose you to dust? No. Oh okay, sorry, my bad. You know, your brother, he didn't want to mess with it either, he wanted to play it safe too." He continued rambling on until Kahmunrah ordered his guards to threaten them with their spears again.

"I am not my brother, Larry. I will kill you and your friends in the blink of an eye. Take me to this Cube of Rubik."

Larry led the way back through the Archives and to the large crate they had found earlier holding the squid. Natasha now knew exactly what he was going to do. She could hear the creature moving around inside the crate, most likely very crammed.

"Here we are," Larry announced.

"Open it," ordered Kahmunrah.

Larry stepped forward. "You might want to stand back," he said. Natasha obeyed and stepped back, figuring what was about to happen.

Larry flicked open the latches on the crate, first one, then the other.

Seconds later the crate burst open as a no-so-happy squid burst out of its trap. Larry dove out of the way of thrashing tentacles which were knocking the Egyptians this way and that. When Kahmunrah was knocked from his feet, the tablet flying through the air, Larry seized his chance, diving in order to catch it, then breaking into a run, Nat at his heels. They could hear Kahmunrah yelling after them.

All around them animals were emerging from their crates. They sprinted down the aisles and around corners, weaving all through the vast space that was the Archives.

"Yee hah!" Suddenly they heard a cheer and a man dressed in old-fashioned military uniform holding a flag sped by on a motorcycle and sidecar. It screeched to a halt and they saw that it was General Custer.

"Take the wheel!" he called to them, beaming.

"What?" cried Larry.

"I said take the wheel! Oh we're in it now, I love it!" the General cried excitedly, getting into the sidecar.

"O-okay..." Larry climbed onto the motorcycle, Natasha having no other option but to sit behind him.

"Just keep her straight I'll handle the rest," instructed the General. "Now, charge!"

Larry started up the motorcycle and they sped off. Nat shrieked as they lurched forward, and her arms flew around his waist.

"Okay so what's the plan here?" he asked.

"We're Americans, we don't plan, we do!" exclaimed Custer. "Now, hold on!"

They rode straight into a cluster of the armed guards, who dove out of the way to avoid being hit, though stumbled all over each other.

Custer howled with laughter. "See that! Act first, think later, works every time. And don't worry, you're in good hands: General George A. Custer of the Fighting U.S. 7th Cavalry, at your service." He gave another great whoop and jumped up, only to hit his head and be thrown right off the sidecar as they passed under a lower shelf.

"I'm good! I'm good!" he called, and assured them to keep going.

Larry, who had turned around to see if Custer was alright, wasn't looking where he was going, and didn't see the woman step right into their path.

"Larry, watch out!" shrieked Nat.

He turned and saw, screeching to a halt just in time. "Hey, lady, could you get out of the way?"

"Lady, who are you calling 'lady' the name's Amelia," she stated. It was the Amelia Earhart statue they had seen earlier, come to life.

Just then, one of the guards threw their spear and it hit the front tire of the motorcycle, puncturing it. There went their ride.

Both scrambled off the bike and, tablet in hand, hurried off, Amelia right at their heels. "Amelia Earhart, perhaps you've heard of me."

"Yes, it's an honour to meet you!" Nat cried, shaking her hand. "I'm Natasha Bentley."

"Oh right," said Larry, much less enthusiastically. "You're like a famous pilot."

"Pilot? I was the first woman to fly the Atlantic," Amelia said proudly. "First woman to receive the Flying Cross, first woman to fly across the forty-eight states in a gyroprop. And now if you'd wipe that perhaps permanent look of alarm off your kisser would you be so kind to tell me exactly where I am?" She spoke quickly.

"You're in a museum, well under it," Larry told her, all while keeping on the lookout for more armed guards. "And we're in kind of a dangerous situation right now so you probably don't want to be anywhere near us."

She scooted over to him with a grin on her face. "What's your name flyboy?"

"Larry Daley."

"Well Larry Daley, in case you weren't listening I'm not one to shy away from danger. And might I say that you two make a very cute couple!"

"Oh no, it's not like that. No, we're not, no..."

She only grinned, giving them a look that said, 'sure.'

 _Hmm, I see a pattern developing here with people saying they're a couple ;) Haha! As always, thanks so much for reading, I sincerely appreciate it!_


	9. 1945 and Beyond

Hello! Here's the latest chapter!

Nine

1945 and Beyond

They fled to the art gallery part of the museum.

"Oh hey, 'War's End Kiss,' I love this photo," Nat said, stopping before it hanging on the wall. She watched the photograph move, as though she were watching a film clip. "Cool."

"This is new," said Larry. Suddenly, something cold and wet hit him against the cheek.

"Hey-" Looking over, he saw that it had been a snowball, thrown by someone from a painting of a winter scene. He peered closer. Everyone began to scream and move away. "No, no, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

"I don't think it's you they're afraid of Mr. Daley," said Amelia. They turned to see Kahmunrah's armed guards approaching. They backed them into a corner.

Thinking fast, Larry passed the tablet to Nat before grabbing a pitchfork from a nearby painting. "Get back, just get back! I'll fork you," he threatened, swinging the pitchfork around.

Amelia sighed. "Never send a boy to do a woman's job." She snatched the pitchfork from his hands. "I spent two weeks spear-hunting with a tribe in Micronesia." She launched the pitchfork at one of the guards - who caught it effortlessly.

She was taken aback. "The Micronesians had much slower reflexes."

Now they desperately searched for an escape. "To 1945!" cried Nat, and the three jumped into 'War's End Kiss'.

"Well," exclaimed Amelia with a smile as she watched the celebrations.

Larry noticed the guards also making their way into the photo, and dragged the ladies away. His cell phone rang. "Wow, four bars in 1945, who knew?"

" _Dad, finally_!" cried Nicky when he answered. "I've been studying these plans of the Archives. It looks like once you get down the stairwell-"

"Oh we're _way_ past the stairwell Nicky!"

" _Oh!_ _So did you find everyone_?"

"Uh, sort of..."

"What's that thing you're talking into?" Amelia asked, calling out over the noise.

" _Who's that_?" asked Nicky, having heard her voice over the phone.

"Oh. it's Amelia Earhart."

" _You found Amelia Earhart_?!"

"Yeah, uh - hey!" Larry cried as a sailor took Amelia's hand and led her further into the celebration. He and Nat were bumped by a few other sailors.

"Hey buddy, what's your rush?" asked one. "Didn't you hear? The war's over! You and your girl should be celebrating!"

"Yeah, sorry, it's just these guys are chasing us-"

"Oh. What am I looking at? Hey what unit were you with?"

"Uh, I'm from Brooklyn..."

"What - seriously?!" the guy cried. "Hey fellas, those so-and-so's are trying to rough up my pal here just cause he's from Brooklyn!"

"Thanks," Larry called as the sailor and his friends ran to confront the guards, and he and Nat hurried off themselves, he not realizing he'd dropped his phone.

"Hey mister!" called the sailor, picking up the phone. "You forgot your, uh... What the heck is this thing?"

As the guards continued to push through the crowd in pursuit of them, Larry got an idea. He took Nat's hand and pulled her over to where the sailor and nurse were still kissing. "Excuse me," Larry said to them. "Do you mind if we just-" Pushing them aside, he took their place. Before Nat knew what was going on Larry had dipped and kissed her. Was kissing her.

Ah, so that had been his plan, take the place of the nurse and sailor. Good quick thinking on his part, or so Nat would have thought had she not been so shocked by and wrapped up in the kiss. In fact, neither knew how long it had been going on for, they breaking apart only by Amelia's chime of, "anytime you're done." When they broke apart and faced her, she was grinning at their breathless, slightly embarrassed figures.

They heard shouting and saw the guards charging at them. They quickly jumped out of the photo and then turned it around so that the front was facing the wall, trapping the guards within.

"Wow, that actually worked," said Larry.

Amelia grinned. "You're quite the smooth operator, aren't you Mr. Daley? Now what's next?"

"Look, nothing personal or anything, but we're kind of in the middle of something here that's really not your fight."

"It's because I'm a woman, isn't it," stated Amelia, sounding offended.

"Uh, no, it's because we've got this ancient, raised-from-the-dead evil pharaoh guy who's willing to kill us and probably anyone near us to get this tablet so he can rule the world."

"So it is because I'm a woman."

"What, no, look-"

"No you look Mr. Daley. If it weren't for me you would still be lost in that monochromatic mayhem!"

"The what?"

"That black and white photo silly! Kissing each other's faces off, remember? Now listen and listen good: I can help you. I want to help you, and not because I like you which so far I don't, but because I smell adventure and damn it, I want in."

"I say she stays," agreed Nat.

Larry sighed. "Fine, okay, alright. But don't blame me if something happens to you."

 _I love these movies so much! ;) Hope you enjoyed, thanks so much for reading!_


	10. Caught!

Hello! Here's the next chapter for you :)

Ten

Caught!

"We'll get you back down to your chums," Amelia assured them. "You won't get lost following Amelia Earhart!" She chuckled.

"Yeah, nope," said Larry, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Nat nudged him.

Voices and footsteps entering the hall made them duck behind a large fountain in the centre of the room. Amelia snuck around one side and Larry and Nat around the other. Armed guards entered the hall.

"Streltsy," said Nat.

"The what?" asked Larry.

"Streltsy," she repeated. "Ivan the Terrible's guards."

"Ivan the Terrible? Great."

They peered over the edge of the fountain. She noticed his arm around her shoulder first. "Oh, s-sorry." He quickly drew his arm away.

"Oh no, that's okay," she replied quickly. Both looked away and knelt there in now awkward silence.

Amelia eyed them. "Well well Mr. Daley, Miss Bentley." She smiled at them, a twinkle in her eye.

"Oh, n-no, it's not-" Both began, but Amelia cut in.

"Oh please stop beating your gums. You Mr. Daley haven't been able to take your cheaters of her chassis since the moment I happened upon you, and probably before that."

"I literally didn't understand one word of that."

Amelia only smiled. Moments later a gentle music lifted into the air. "Is it just me, or is there music in the air?" said Amelia. Then she looked up and grinned. "Well, it looks like I'm not the only one who's noticed!" The two looked up to see three small stone cupids flying around above them, singing and making music - romantic music.

"Shh, shhh!" Larry hissed, trying to quiet them. "You! Little flying angel things! Quiet! We're trying to hide!"

"They're cupids Mr. Daley, gods of love," explained Amelia, hinting.

"Great. Hey gods of love, will you shut up?!" If they kept this up, they'd give them away. "Please shut up! We're trying to hide!"

The guards began coming around the opposite side of the fountain, causing the trio to scoot around the side they were on. The cupids kept singing as they made their escape. The three took off out of the hall, Amelia leading the way. They rounded a corner - and right into a line of drawn swords.

"Ah, and you have been caught," said a heavy Russian accent, and a man in elaborate robes stepped forward.

"Ivan the Terrible!" Nat cried. He and the Streltsy stopped andstared. "First Tsar of Russia." Then she broke out into speaking Russian, the limited amount she knew, this earning her even more surprised looks from the others. Quickly though, she ran out of vocabulary. She turned back to English. "I know that you're not really terrible, it's just the result of a painful loss you suffered long ago."

A look of sadness flashed across the tsar's face, but then he stiffened again. "I do not know what you mean."

"I think you do. The death of your dearly beloved wife, perhaps." Now Ivan looked as though he were trying to keep his composure. "Anastasia."

That did it. The tsar collapsed blubbering onto a nearby bench, his startled guards now surrounding him and trying to be comforting. The trio made their escape.

"That was amazing," said Larry as they ran.

"Thanks. My family emigrated from Russia in the early 1900s, and my grandparents spoke Russian to us, so I can speak some. Guess it came in handy - sort of. But the Russian history did - Ivan's first wife Anastasia died when they were young, leaving him absolutely devastated. It's what triggered his 'terrible' state."

"First wife?"

"Yeah, he had seven."

" _Seven_?"

"Yeah."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, but Anastasia was still his beloved. It's kind of sweet in a way, who knew Ivan the Terrible could be so romantic?"

Turning another corner, they found themselves trapped yet again, this time by French guards.

"Very clever, Mademoiselle," came the voice of none other than Napoleon himself. "But your tricks shall not work on me. So if your boyfriend will kindly come with me-"

"Oh I'm not her boyfriend," Larry jumped in. Nat shook her head in agreement. "We're just-"

"Friends."

"Yeah, friends. Colleagues..."

Napoleon was nodding with a little grin on his face. He scooted over to Larry. "So are you friends but both scared of ruining your relationship by telling the other you want to be more than friends, that you like-like each other?" Nat heard this though.

"No," Larry said with a sheepish grin, shaking his head.

"No," agreed Nat, also shaking her head.

"Oh." Napoleon chuckled, his tone then changing dramatically when he held up his dagger to them. "Now, this way or you die."

* * *

"Hello Mr. Daley, Miss Bentley. So nice to see you again," Kahmunrah said as Napoleon and his guards led Larry and Nat into the castle where the gate was. "Now if you don't mind, I shall take that from you." He plucked the tablet from Larry's hands, grinning maliciously. "Finally, finally! After three-thousand years-" As he spoke, he went over to the gate, securing the tablet in its place and touching the different symbols in a precise order. "-My evil army of the damned, my beautiful, beautiful army, shall be UNLEASHED!"

Everyone jumped, but nothing happened. Nothing. There was only silence, an awkward silence. Well that was anticlimactic.

Kahmunrah gave an embarrassed grin. "Now I'm afraid Mother and Father may have slightly altered the combination on me."

"Wow, I guess this whole 'unleashing-the-underworld' thing isn't really working out for you, huh?" said Larry. "I mean it just must be really frustrating for you cause you've waited thousands of years to come back from the dead and everything, and now you can't get it open." He pointed to the gate.

"Fear not, for I shall wait a thousand more if I must," said Kahmunrah determinedly.

"Good cause in a few hours you'll just be standing there in a frustrated position, frozen, and we'll walk out of here with our buddies and that'll be that. We've got all night."

"Hmm, all night? Well, he doesn't." Kahmunrah pointed to one of the guards who was holding a birdcage in his hands, in which was - Jed.

Larry's expression immediately changed. Nat gasped. Grinning, Kahmunrah went over, taking Jed from the birdcage and trapping him inside an hourglass, Jed screaming at him the whole time. "Oh I don't think he has all night at all Mr. Daley. I'd say he has a little over an hour." He stormed over to the gate and removed the tablet. "You were the guardian, you know all about this tablet. You're obviously much more clever than the rest of us. You may not know the combination, but I am going to give you exactly one hour to figure it out." He slammed the tablet against Larry's chest and into his hands. "If you don't I shall kill your friends," he threatened. "And please don't think about escaping, for I will be watching you."

"Look I don't even know how to begin to decipher this thing, really!" Larry cried.

"We'll do it!" cried Nat, grabbing onto the tablet.

Kahmunrah smiled smugly. "Tick tock then, your hour has begun."

"Hey," Jed told them, stopping them before they left. "You've got this partner, I know you do."

They fled.

 _Thanks for reading! :) And I hope you liked the little part I added with Ivan - I wanted to add a little more backstory for Nat and I'm really interested in Ivan, I learned all about him in a couple of the history courses I took last year! Thanks again!_


	11. The Task

Hello and welcome back! Here's the next chapter!

Eleven

The Task

"There you are!" They jumped a little when Amelia rounded the corner towards them. "I've been worried sick, sick I tell you!"

"No, we're fine," Larry answered, though he sounded panicked.

"So, what's our next move partner?"

"I don't know, but we've just got to get this tablet translated."

"Well lucky for us, one of us majored in Ancient Egyptian history." Nat took the tablet from Larry and studied the glyphs. "Okay... So we've got bird, man with a spear, a sideways fish, beetle, and vase."

"Okay, and what does that mean?" asked Larry.

"I don't know!" she cried, slamming the tablet against his chest. "I only know what each symbol means, not what they mean as a whole. Too bad the only other person we know here who can also read hieroglyphs wants to kill us."

"I have an idea," said Amelia. "Come, follow me." They followed her down halls and through corridors, back through the art gallery where they had been before.

Suddenly, giant tentacles blocked their path and the giant squid sat in front of them.

"Oh great this guy again," sighed Larry. "Look buddy we don't want any trouble-" However, following the squid's gaze, he found that maybe the creature didn't want any trouble either. Instead, it was eyeing a moving painting of the ocean. Passing the tablet back to Nat, Larry took the painting off the wall and dumped the water over the squid who squealed happily.

"Hmm, look at that," remarked Amelia. "Looks like our sassy cephalopod was just a big fish who didn't like being out of water. He's not such a ballywagger after all."

Just as they were continuing on, the tentacles wrapped around Larry and the squid cuddled him into a thankful hug.

"Oh - you're welcome," said Larry. "Glad you're happy." He wiped slime from his uniform.

"Help! Anyone? A little assistance!" called a familiar voice down the hall.

"Oh, hey, Teddy! Perfect!" cried Larry when they saw the bronze statue of the chest and face of Teddy Roosevelt. "Maybe you could help us."

"I'd love to help but first thing's first: my nose is itching up a storm and it's driving me insane. As you can see, I'm missing a few body parts, so if you wouldn't mind-"

"Oh, yeah, no problem-" Larry reached out and scratched the statue's nose.

"Thank you!" Teddy cried. "Theodore Roosevelt at your service."

"Twenty-sixth president of the United States, rough rider, founder of national parks and a bunch of other stuff," Larry added.

Teddy was surprised. "Have we met?"

"Oh no, we've got another Teddy over in New York."

"Really? What's he like, this other me?"

"Uh, well, he's pretty much the same except with..."

"With what? Say it. Except with a body?"

"Yes..."

"Oh!" Teddy cried, sounding wounded at this knowledge.

"And a horse-" continued Larry. Nat nudged him.

"Excuse me," Amelia interrupted. "We really need to translate what's written on this tablet. Do you read hieroglyphics?"

"Yes I do."

"We already know that these symbols mean bird, man with a spear, a sideways fish, beetle, and vase."

"Yes indeed."

"And what does that mean?" asked Larry.

"Oh, that's a simple one. Well this is just a rough translation, but it means 'a man with a spear trapped a bird and a sideways fish in a vase'." A pause. "And there was also a beetle."

The trio exchanged a glance. "I don't think that's it..."

"Well that's just one possible translation. Another would be 'you will find the answer you seek if you figure out the secret at the heart of Pharaoh's tomb.'"

"Now that's more like it!" cheered Nat.

"Okay and what does _that_ mean?" pressed Larry.

"I don't know, what do I look like, the Sphinx?" demanded Teddy. "Why don't you ask your New York Teddy, with his full body, and a horse!"

"Mr. Daley, Miss Bentley," Amelia said as Teddy continued to rant. "I think we'd better make our way to the sculpture gallery. I think there's someone there who might have a better thought on this." Calling a quick 'thank you' to Teddy, they followed Amelia out of the room.

"The fellow we're looking for is just through here," she said, leading them into another wide gallery. She stopped when she was greeted by a Degas statue of a dancing little girl.

"Why hello there young lady." She began dancing with her.

"Uh, excuse me, could we keep moving, please," Larry urged.

"Well we certainly could, but then we might miss a rare opportunity," Amelia answered, still dancing. "You don't let yourself enjoy things much, do you Mr. Daley."

"Yeah it's just I've got to get this translated, save my friends, and I've got a pitch at Walmart tomorrow morning, so..."

Amelia sighed. "He's right here. I think he'll have a thought on this." She led them over to the statue of the Thinker. "Mr. Thinker, we're sorry to interrupt your contemplation but we really need to figure out 'the secret at the heart of Pharaoh's tomb.'"

The Thinker thought for a moment. "I'm thinking... I'm thinking... I'm thinking... I'm thinking..."

"It's not happening with him." Larry shook his head.

Suddenly, the Thinker broke out of his 'thoughts' and began flexing his muscles. Turning, they saw that he was trying to impress an Ancient-Greek-looking statue of a young woman, who giggled.

"Hey! Hey buddy! Over here! This is serious!" called Larry, trying to regain the statue's attention.

"It's kind of a matter of life and death," put in Nat.

"I'll tell you what's a matter of life and death: that beautiful lady over there," said the Thinker, the female statue continuing to giggle.

"Well he's certainly no Einstein," said Amelia as the Thinker ignored them.

"Hey wait, I saw a bunch of those earlier-" Larry began heading for the gallery window.

"A bunch of what's?"

"Einsteins."

"Where?"

"Over there, in Air and Space." The other building sat across the courtyard. "We've got to get over there." He started down the long gallery hall, searching for an exit door.

"So, how long have you been guarding antiquities?" asked Amelia, matching his pace, a bounce in her step.

"What - oh, no. I'm not a guard."

"Oh, well, I just thought with the fancy getup and all."

"Yeah, no, I borrowed this. I was a guard, actually, back in New York. But that was a while ago."

"Yes, Miss Bentley was telling me you worked together. Why did you leave? Did you not enjoy it?"

"No I loved it I just - things sort of took off in another direction so..."

"Oh. So what do you do now?"

"Well I sort of design products and sell them."

She gave an excited gasp. "You're an inventor!"

He smiled. "Yes, yes I am an inventor."

"Like the rocket ship?"

"No..."

"The sea plane?"

"No."

"The dirigible?"

"No, not aircraft, more small scale stuff like - well the Glow-in-the-Dark Flashlight, that was mine." He trailed off.

She regarded him. "So this new job, do you like it?"

"Yeah, yeah I like it a lot. It's exciting." Now she looked confused. "What?"

"I'm just confused is all. I'm just wondering if you don't find it exciting then why do you do it?"

"I-I am excited by it, I just said-"

"I know what you said Mr. Daley, but what I see in front of me is a man who's lost his moxie."

"I've not, I - I haven't lost my moxie," he defended.

"Do you know why I became a pilot?"

He shook his head. "I don't, no."

"For the fun of it!" Now there was an excited glint in her eyes. "And why else would anyone do anything?"

 _Yeah you said it Amelia! ;) Who's your favourite NATM character? I love Larry, Nick, and Amelia, Lancelot, Ahk... I love them all! ;) Haha thanks so much for reading!_


	12. A Cute Couple

Hello! Here's the next chapter!

Twelve

A Cute Couple

The ladies had fallen behind him, chatting while they continued winding through the sculpture gallery. The Smithsonian sure had a vast collection of, well, everything.

"Why do you keep denying it?" Amelia asked suddenly.

Nat was confused. "Denying what?"

"That you're a couple."

"Oh. Well, we're not... We dated for a little while, but then Larry's company took off and he had to focus on that. I'm happy for him, and didn't want to hold him back."

"But you wish to be." A statement, not a question.

"We were happy together. But I don't know, I guess life just kind of took us in different directions. Funny, how it does that."

"Well, I say you should talk to him. Go on, I'll stay behind." She winked.

Nat knew that the pilot was genuinely trying to help. "So, a pitch at Walmart?" She appeared at Larry's side. "That's pretty cool."

"Yeah, for my latest product, the Glow-in-the-Dark Flashlight."

"Oh yeah, I saw it advertised."

He sensed something in her voice - disappointment maybe. "You okay?"

She gave a little shrug. "I don't know I guess I just thought - hoped - that after all this you might rejoin us back at the museum."

"Oh, Nat I-"

She shook her head. "Wishful thinking, I know." She looked up at him. "It just wasn't the same there without you - you changed so much there. And we missed you." Then she leaned in and whispered, "Even McPhee." Smiling, she continued on, leaving him standing there, sighing.

Amelia appeared at his side again, looking back and forth between him and the retreating Nat. She'd heard the exchange between them.

"I think I've really blown it," he said.

 _Smack!_ Suddenly, her hand shot out and she struck him across the face.

"Ow! Why?" he demanded.

"Honestly Mr. Daley! That woman over there is in love with you, and you're in love with her, and don't you try and deny it like you have been all night! Men," she scoffed. "You always miss things! Now I'm just trying to help you set things straight before it's too late. You'll thank me later." With that she stalked off in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"Giving you a little bit of help! Giving you the push you need!"

"What?"

"Giving you two a moment!" With that she disappeared around a corner.

Well, now he was trapped. There was no way out. He had to deal with this now. Slowly, he approached Nat. "Hey."

She smiled at him, looking up from where she was trying to figure out the tablet. "Hey."

"So, I was thinking-"

"Me too."

"Yeah, about that kiss-"

"Yeah, me too."

"Yeah."

"Yeah. It was nice," she said.

"Yeah, it was. A little sudden maybe, a little rushed. A little late, too, perhaps..."

"It's never too late." There was a pause. She chuckled a little, looking back down at the tablet. "I feel kind of useless, to be honest. I mean, here I am, I've studied Ancient Egypt, I just wish I could be more helpful."

"Hey, no you've been helpful, really helpful. You translated those symbols, you told off that Ivan guy, and you flew all the way out here to help me, me who hasn't been there for a long time." He paused. "I really appreciate it Nat."

She smiled too. Before either could say anything more, gentle music lifted into the air again. Looking up, the two saw the stone cupids from before at the fountain.

"Oh great, these guys again," mumbled Larry.

The cupids continued as before, singing more romantic music, this time the _Titanic_ theme.

"Oh, great, love theme from _Titanic_."

The cupids started making kissing noises.

"Look, could you just fly away, please-" Larry was blushing now. Nat giggled.

"Thank you boys, that was lovely," chimed Amelia with a grin, re-entering the room. She smiled at her two companions. "So, shall we? I saw an exit this way." Larry and Nat followed her down the hall and around the corner. Larry used Brundon's ID badge to unlock the door and they slipped out into the night.

"And so the adventure continues," said Amelia. "To Air and Space!"

* * *

As they were making their way across the darkened courtyard, they heard distant shouts and saw Ivan the Terrible's guards running about, no doubt searching for them. They ran and hid behind a map sign.

"Criminy, we're jimmy-jacked!" hissed Amelia.

"Jimmy-jacked? Really?" said Larry.

"It's the way I speak," explained Amelia.

"Yeah, I know, but that one sounds made up, even for you."

"Oh no, our path is being blocked by bad people - what's the good in that?!" She nudged him. "The point is, we're not getting into Air and Space right now."

"Oh, yeah, you're right. We are, jimmy-jacked." He tried the term out.

"I've got an idea," piped up Nat. "Head for the Lincoln Memorial. Amelia, you first."

The pilot nodded and ran, taking cover behind a cluster of bushes up ahead, watching the guards. Nat and Larry watched her, Nat with her back pressed up against the sign, he facing her. He was staring down at her.

"What?" she asked, smiling.

"Nothing." He shook his head. "You next."

She nodded and took off after Amelia, crouching behind the bushes. When they made sure it was clear, they waved him over. Then the three headed over to the Lincoln Memorial.

"We should be safe in here," Nat said as they ducked behind one of the columns.

Suddenly, Amelia gasped. "Great Gatsby!"

The others looked to see the giant statue of Lincoln stretching awake.

"Blast these pigeons!" he cried, shaking off the pigeons who had perched on his arms. Then he rose from his chair and started walking forward; the ground practically shook with each great step. The three jumped in his path, calling to him.

"Oh no! Mr. President if you go out there you're going to freak a lot of people out!" cried Larry, waving his arms and blocking the president's path.

"Freak?" repeated the statue. "I assure you sir I am no freak."

"No I didn't mean you're a freak I just meant that-" But he was cut off as Lincoln plucked him up by the back of his coat and brought him up to eye-level.

"In fact, if anyone is freakish I'm afraid it's you sir. The truth is, you are very small, and I mean even for a regular-sized human!"

"What?"

"I must be honest."

"Oh right, 'Honest Abe'. Great."

"Um excuse me, Mr. President," called Nat, trying not to giggle as she watched Larry dangling by the jacket collar. "We'd really appreciate it if you could put the little man down, thank you, and we'll be on our way."

"You have a polite, can-do attitude, and I shall do as you ask." The president nodded and set Larry down.

"Thank you," Larry said as he was placed back on the ground, smoothing down his jacket.

"You know, it's that can-do spirit that has defined this remarkable nation of ours," Lincoln began, striding back over to his chair and sitting down again.

Nat noticed them first, the guards charging across the courtyard. "Streltsy!" she hissed, and she, Larry, and Amelia scurried to hide behind one of the pillars. "Excuse me, Mr. President!" she called. "Sorry to interrupt but we need you to hold still now."

Lincoln paused in his story. "What?"

"Abraham, freeze!" commanded Amelia.

The statue struck and held a pose just as the guards raced past.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Lincoln said warmly.

"Come on," said Larry. "Let's get to Air and Space."

"If I may, you two make a lovely couple," Lincoln told him and Nat. "The truth is you two are adorable together!"

"I completely agree," said Amelia with a smile.

"Um, thanks," said Larry, past the point of denying it any further.

"I never lie!" Lincoln reminded him.

"Right." Larry turned to the ladies. "Alright, let's go."

The president waved. "Farewell lovely ladies - and small, little man..."

 _Aww they're so cute and awkward! ;) Haha! And I love that scene with Lincoln! Thanks so much for reading, bye for now! :)_


	13. An Air and Space Adventure

Hello again! Alright, here's another chapter!

Thirteen

An Air and Space Adventure

"Now let's see if we can find these Einsteins of yours," Amelia said as they entered the building, Larry once again using the ID badge.

Nat was more of a history museum person herself, of course, but she had to admit Air and Space was pretty impressive.

Amelia beamed at all the aircraft surrounding them and began to wander around, looking excited.

As Nat and Larry were also making their way through the room in search of the Einsteins, a monkey who looked just like Dexter wearing a space suit came up to them.

"Oh, hey little space monkey," said Larry. The monkey pointed to his nametag which said 'Able'. "Right, Able, how are you doing?" Able saluted to them and then reached out his hand. "Oh, you're a polite little fella, aren't you?" Larry knelt down and shook his hand.

"Oh Mr. Daley, Miss Bentley! I found your Einsteins," Amelia called, waving them over.

"Whoa, he looked just like Dexter," commented Nat as they left Able.

"Yeah," agreed Larry. "Except in a spacesuit. And much friendlier."

They joined Amelia. "Gentlemen," she addressed the bobble-heads. "We're trying to crack the combination of this tablet doodad, and the writing here says we'll find it if we figure out the secret at the heart of pharaoh's tomb."

One of the bobble-heads hauled himself up onto the edge of the counter to address them. He chuckled. "Oh that's an easy one!"

"It is?" said Larry.

" _Ja!_ The answer's in the question," he told them in a German accent.

"What does that mean?" Larry asked.

"'Figure out'," explained the Einstein. "It's a figure, i.e. a number. And the pharaoh's tomb, i.e. the pyramids." He drew a pyramid on the little notepad in his hand. They still looked confused. "Don't you get it kid? You're looking for the secret number at the heart of the pyramids!"

"I'm terrible with numbers," Nat admitted sheepishly. "Unless they're dates on a timeline."

Suddenly, Amelia snapped her fingers. "Well whistle me _Dixie_! The answer's pi!"

"Bingo!" cheered the Einstein. "3.14159265, to be exact!"

"Right, 3.1495265," tried Larry.

"No, no, no, no. 3.14 _15_ 9265," corrected Einstein.

"Right, well you know, we can't all be Einsteins-"

"I am!"

"He is!"

"We are!"

"Me too!" The bobble-heads began pointing to one another.

"Okay fine, but could you slow it down just a little, please?"

They sighed. " _Fine_! 3.14159265!" They sped up again a little towards the end out of excitement.

"Okay." Larry nodded. "So 3.14-"

"I've got it," cut in Amelia. "Thank you Mr. Einsteins."

"We've got about ten minutes to get back over there to Jed and the others," Larry said as they left the merry Einsteins to their numbers, looking at his watch.

"I say we make a pretty darn good team!" said Amelia with a chuckle.

Suddenly, there was commotion across the room. Ivan, Napoleon, Al Capone, and their guards had entered the building, no doubt in search of them.

"Come on!" They scurried up a staircase.

Amelia stopped, eyeing a plane hanging from the ceiling. "It'll have to do." She raced towards it.

This was met by a shared "what?!" from her companions.

"We can't fly that!" cried Larry in protest. "That's like the first plane ever made. It's made out of wood and paper!"

"It's made out of spruce and canvas and good old-fashioned American ingenuity!" corrected Amelia, stepping over the ledge railing and onto the wing.

The others still hesitated. "I'm really not a fan of heights," Nat put in.

"Are you coming or what?"

Seeing as they really had no choice, they joined Amelia on board, lying down on their stomachs. Amelia started the propellers. "Hold on, things are about to get interesting!" She moved the control stick and they lurched forward, breaking free from the wires suspending the plane from the ceiling. They were off!

"A lady pilot - preposterous!" cried a man from one of the exhibits below.

"Think again boys!" chimed Amelia with a grin.

Nat grabbed Larry's hand tightly as they swooped and swerved, gripping the wing with her other hand. They swooped low over Ivan, Capone, Napoleon, and the guards who dove to the ground to avoid being hit. Amelia beamed as they weaved in and out of other hanging displays, while Nat and Larry clung to the edge of the wing and to each other's hands for dear life.

Suddenly Amelia said, "uh oh."

"What? What uh oh?" demanded Larry.

"One of the wires is jammed, I'm going to have to loosen it," she explained. "Here, take the stick."

"What?! No!"

"I know you've got moxie in you yet."

"Moxie doesn't fly planes! People who have pilot's licences fly planes!"

"She's all yours - good luck!" She let go.

"What - no! Oh!" He grabbed the control stick, moving it up and down.

"You can do this," Nat called, but clung to the side of the plane even tighter. They swerved sharply this way and that. "Larry!" shrieked Nat, closing her eyes.

"Don't look now Mr. Daley, but you're flying an airplane!" called Amelia from where she was fixing the wire.

Larry focused on the path ahead. Beside him, Nat screamed as they narrowly missed hitting multiple hanging exhibits. Then suddenly, the room was ending, a large closed door up ahead.

"Able, the door!" cried Larry.

The space monkey, who had been scurrying below them, heard his call and at the last moment jumped up and pressed the button by the door, which began to open.

And then, they had suddenly left the chaos behind and were soaring over a peaceful night in Washington D.C. Amelia had fixed the wire and had taken over flying again. Nat had gotten over her initial fear and loosened her grip on the wing, peering down at the calm city lights below them. She liked the feeling of the wind in her hair. And what a view.

That was when she realized she was still holding Larry's hand. They met eyes and instead of letting go they held each other's hands tighter, sharing a smile.

 _Aww! Sorry Amelia, but you're totally third-wheeling there ;) haha! Thanks so much for reading - we're nearing the end of part two (part three is my favourite!)_


	14. Too Late?

Hello! So sorry for the delay in updating! Here's the next chapter!

Fourteen

Too Late?

SMASH! Their plane flew right through the castle's stained-glass window. They were right on time.

The plane landed and skidded across the floor. Larry was sent flying from the wing, rolling across the ground. Since he and Nat had been holding hands she went with him.

They didn't have long to recover for the plane went crashing into a large glass case.

Amelia! They stumbled to their feet and moved to check if she was alright.

"STOP!" roared Kahmunrah from behind them. "Stop right there, Mr. Daley, Miss Bentley." They two stopped, but not before they saw Amelia peek her head around the wing to give them a signal that she was okay.

Kahmunrah approached, the hourglass with Jed still inside in his hand. The poor cowboy was nearly drowning in sand by now, just his head with his hat peeking out. "Well, well, well, you certainly know how to make an entrance. Let us hope for your little friend's sake here that you also figured out the combination."

"Give me Jed-" Larry reached for the hourglass, but Kahmunrah snatched it away.

"Oh, no, no, no. First you give me the combination. And hand over that tablet." He reached for it.

This time it was Larry who snatched the sought-after item away. "I'll give you the tablet and the combination when you release our friends."

"And I will release what I want to release, when I want to release it."

"Great, and I'll release what I want to release when I want to release it," Larry shot back.

"Give me the combination and the tablet right now, or I shall kill all of your friends, starting with your shaggy-headed little cowboy here."

"I ain't shaggy-headed!" hollered Jed. "Gigantor let me take this guy!"

"Don't worry Jed, I've got this handled. You don't want to release my friends, fine, then you don't get the combination or the tablet."

"Do you know, Mr. Daley, what they called me? They called me Kahmunrah the Bloodthirsty, who kills whoever doesn't give him whatever he wants when he wants it, which is right now, when I had also better get the combination and the tablet!"

"That's what they called you?" He looked to Nat for confirmation, who nodded.

"It was shorter in Egyptian."

"Great, well I'll give you the combination and the tablet when you give me Jed-" Larry reached for the hourglass, only to have it snatched away yet again.

"How dare you!"

They proceeded to have an argument about who should give over what they owe first, Larry really angering Kahmunrah by continually trying to reach for the hourglass. By the end, Kahmunrah was practically roaring.

"If you do that again, I shall kill all of your friends! And on second thought, I'll start with your fair-haired little girlfriend here-" He seized Nat's arm in an iron grip, causing her to grit her teeth.

"Get off me-" She squirmed as he dragged her away from Larry and to his side.

"Now, tell me the combination."

There was a tense silence. Larry and Nat met eyes. He looked conflicted. She shook her head. _Don't give it to him!_

The silence was broken moments later by a call of, "We already got the combination!" The group turned to see Capone, Ivan, Napoleon, and their guards marching into the room, Capone holding one of the Einstein bobble-heads by the hair. "It's pi! 3.14159265." He tossed the Einstein up in the air and caught him again. "Little Crazy Hair here, he sang, oh did he sing! Like a canary!"

"I'm sorry," apologized Einstein.

"Hey, enough out of you!" threatened Capone, raising a fist.

"Hey, that's enough," defended Larry.

Pleased now, Kahmunrah shoved Nat back into Larry's arms before throwing the hourglass carelessly over his shoulder, Larry diving in order to catch it before it smashed to the floor.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, peering down at Jed

"Yeah, thanks," answered Jed, dusting the sand off himself.

"This all must be a real downer for you, Larry Daley," Kahmunrah said, taking the tablet and making his way over to the gate. "Knowing that all of your valiant efforts were, in the end, for naught. What a terrible disappointment you must be to yourself." He placed the tablet at the front of the gate in its place and began pressing the symbols. There was a low hum. "Ah, do you hear that sound? Do you know what it is? That, my friends, is the sound of the end." Now a bright golden glow shone from the tablet. Kahmunrah gave a content smile and then began a low chant in Ancient Egyptian.

"I'm sorry guys," Larry said.

"Ah, you did your best, Gigantor," Jed assured him. "And dadgum it we almost had him too."

Nat squeezed his arm in similar assurance.

"No I mean I'm sorry I wasn't there the last couple of years at the museum. Maybe none of this would have happened."

"You don't get it, do you Gigantor? I didn't call you cause we needed your help - ah sure, we were in a little pickle - but no partner, I called you cause _you_ needed us. That fancy suit you've been parading around in the past couple years, that ain't you. And hey, I'll tell you another thing: this night ain't over yet. This little cowboy's still got some fight left in him, and something tells me you do too-"

He was cut off then by a rumble as the front part of the gate shifted, moving forward, bits of rock debris crumbling to the ground. The tablet shimmered, and Kahmunrah continued his chanting. Slowly, the gate swung open like a door, revealing a dark abyss.

"Welcome to the new reign of Kahmunrah," Kahmunrah said, breaking his chant and stepping forward. "King of Egypt, and now, the world!"

Dark swirls started to appear, growing closer, until they materialized outside of the door itself, taking the form of guards in ancient costume, with the heads of birds. A whole army marched out, spears in hand at the ready.

"Come forth my warriors! Send Larry Daley and his friends to their doom!"

Nat felt Larry's arm wrap tightly around her waist, drawing her close to him as the warriors squawked and surrounded them. She gripped his arm. Soon they were tightly encircled, and upon Kahmunrah's shout, the spears were raised level with their heads.

"Halt!"

Everyone's heads turned in search of the voice that called out. Larry, Nat, and Jed recognized it though.

"The mighty Octavius has returned!" Nat and Larry shared a glance. "And I ride on the back of Nature's most feared creature - I ride, the Squirrel!"

Everyone stared down at the tiny man on the back of a little squirrel scampering up to stand at Kahmunrah's feet.

"Will you surrender honourably, or must this end with the spilling of your blood?" Octavius called up to him.

"This," said Kahmunrah, looking as though he might burst into a fit of laughter. "This is your big rescue?"

"Oh no," said Octavius. "This is!"

Suddenly there was a rumbling followed moments later by the Lincoln statue stepping through the smashed window. This startled everyone.

"Hello again friends." Lincoln waved and smiled down at Larry and Nat.

"What is that thing?" demanded Kahmunrah.

"My name is Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States of America. And you Sir are in a heap of trouble!"

"Attack it!" shouted Kahmunrah, pointing at the statue, followed by the same order in Ancient Egyptian.

The army from the underworld launched their spears at the great statue, only to have them bounce off his stone body.

"Disgusting half-pigeons!" Lincoln batted them away with ease, sending them flying into walls and smashing into display cases. Those remaining obviously got the message and scurried back through the gateway, closing and securing it, Kahmunrah shouting after them.

"Well it appears that my work here is done," Lincoln announced, sounding pleased. "Just remember," he said, turning back to Larry and Nat. "A house divided against itself cannot stand." With that he strode out through the smashed window, back the way he came.

There was a long silence. "Well, this is awkward," remarked Kahmunrah.

"Uh, what now?" piped up Ivan.

"Well, I suppose we could start by watching them die."

Larry pulled Nat closer again.

But, they were interrupted yet again, this time by a bugle sounding.

"Oh now what?" demanded Kahmunrah with a pout.

General Custer's voice echoed throughout the hall. "We are not going to attack - right now!"

Alright Amelia! She'd recruited, well, everyone. Their friends from New York, Custer, the Thinker, the squid, the cupids, and everyone from Air and Space. With a great cheer, everyone charged forward. _This_ was their big rescue.

 _Kind of a cheesy ending but oh well! Haha hope you guys enjoyed! And I'm so sorry for such a long delay - school's been crazy busy! I'll try and update the next chapter sooner - almost at Part Three - yay! Thanks so much!_


	15. One Night to Save the Day

Hello! So sorry again for the delay in updating! Here's the next chapter for you, hope you enjoy!

Fifteen

One Night to Save the Day

t didn't take Larry and Nat long to realize that they were standing in the worst possible spot - right at the centre between the two charging armies.

They were bumped and knocked about as they tried to escape the chaos. In all the commotion, the hourglass flew from Larry's hand and went rolling through the battle, getting kicked about, with Jed still trapped inside.

"It's alright Larry, I shall help Jedediah!" called Octavius.

While the Roman rushed to the assistance of their friend, Larry and Nat swerved their way through the battle, until at last they reached the edge of it. Just when they thought they were safe, an enemy soldier jumped out in front of them, blocking their path with a yell. Thinking fast, Nat threw a punch, hitting him right in the jaw and knocking him back.

"Nice one," complimented Larry.

"Thanks." She grinned.

"Okay, when I give you the signal, I want you to open the gate," he said.

She grinned. "I take it you've got a plan then."

"Yeah, I'm going to divide the house."

"Okay, what's the signal?"

"Uh-" Come to think of it, he hadn't thought about that. "I'll, uh, give you a nod."

"Okay... Best get to it then!" As she turned to rejoin the fight, Larry took her arm.

"Hey-" He pulled her back to him in a kiss.

They pulled away and she smiled. With that, she ran off back through the battle.

After successfully dealing with Capone, Napoleon, and Ivan, they now being too distracted arguing amongst themselves to fight him, Larry searched for Nat. They met eyes and he gave her a nod. She smiled and nodded back, heading for the gate.

Larry began to make his way through the chaos, only to have a blade held to his neck. Kahmunrah stepped out of the shadows. "Very clever Larry Daley. Now I guess I will just have the pleasure of killing you myself!"

"Larry!" cried Nat, watching as Kahmunrah lunged at him with a small curved blade.

Lucikly Larry reacted in time, withdrawing his flashlight from his belt and using it to block the blade. He and Kahmunrah began a fight blade-to-flashlight, and Larry quickly nodded to Nat as the signal. She began pressing the squares in the right sequence.

Everyone had stopped their own fighting to watch the epic showdown between Larry and Kahmunrah. The pharaoh definitely had the upper hand, having an actual weapon on his side. Larry did use the flashlight to his advantage though, using it to momentarily blind his opponent at one point. This gave Nat just enough time to finish the combination and open the gate.

Now Larry held the pharaoh in a headlock, just as with an eerie rumble, the gate slid open.

"What are you?" cried Kahmunrah.

"I'm the night guard." With that, Larry threw Kahmunrah back, the pharoah, screaming, falling deep into the underworld. When he disappeared, Nat pushed the gate closed, sealing it shut.

There was a stunned silence amongst the crowd before everyone erupted into victorious cheering. There was applause and hugs and reunions. Larry and Nat rushed to greet their museum friends, finally freed.

Larry held up his flashlight. "This sure comes in handy."

Nat smiled. "It sure does." They hugged.

"I'd say someone found his moxie," remarked Amelia, giving him a playful punch to the shoulder.

"The Battle of the Smithsonian," announced Custer. "Perhaps the greatest battle the world will never know."

"We'll know." Larry looked down at his watch. "Oh man, we've only got an hour left till sunrise, and we've still got to get back to New York."

"In case you forgot Gigantor, they don't want us there anymore," said Jed.

"Well we do," Larry said, putting an arm around Nat who nodded in agreement. "Hey Amelia, do you think you could get us a ride?"

The pilot grinned, an excited glint in her eyes. "It would be my pleasure!"

 _Hello everyone! Again, sorry for the delay, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! One more chapter until part three - yay! Thanks so much for reading and Happy New Year! :)_


	16. Reunited

Hello! Here's the next chapter for you - the last chapter of Part Two! Enjoy!

Sixteen

Reunited

"Well, there you are, back where you belong." Amelia grinned, stepping down out of the plane. She'd landed smoothly right in front of the museum back home in New York.

"Yeah." Holding hands, Larry and Nat shared a smile. Their exhibit friends had already gone inside, eager to be home.

"Well then, my work here is done. And I suppose then that this is goodbye."

"Yeah, guess so." Larry nodded. "Hey, Amelia. Listen, there's not an easy way to put this, but, in the morning-"

"I know what's coming Mr. Daley, I've always known. But it doesn't matter. You've given me the adventure of a lifetime all in one night." Then she smiled her charming smile. "And I have a feeling that it's going to be a beautiful sunrise. Now come here." She first gave him a hug, then Nat.

"Thank you, for everything," Nat said.

The pilot gave them one last of her cheery smiles. "Good luck," she told them. "And have fun." She winked and then climbed back into the plane. They waved as she took flight, headed back for D.C.

After standing for a moment in the middle of the quiet street, hand-in-hand, Larry and Nat made their way inside the museum.

"Lawrence! Miss Bentley! Bless you for bringing them back!" cried Teddy when they entered the lobby where a happy reunion amongst the exhibits was taking place. "Might I say a hearty well-done is in order! But might I also point out, they cannot hide in the basement forever."

"Yeah no, I think I got that figured out," Larry told him. Nat was now speaking with Ahk, the tablet clutched safely in his hands.

"Sun come, Dum-Dum," called the Easter Island head, announcing the approaching dawn.

"He is right, the dawn will soon be upon us." Teddy moved to climb up onto Tex's back.

"Hey Teddy." Larry stopped him. "You remember the other night you were saying something about the 'key to happiness' and then the sun rose and you froze. Well I think I've figured it out: it's doing what you love, isn't it. With the people you love."

Teddy grinned and patted him on the shoulder before climbing up onto Tex's back. "Lawrence, welcome home Son."

* * *

Through the great generosity of an 'anonymous donor', the museum was able to complete its renovations, with the agreement that everything stay the same. Well, maybe not everything...

The new Night Program lured hundreds of guests to the museum during the new evening hours where they were fully immersed in special effects that really 'brought history to life'. Or so they thought.

Larry smiled and waved at Nicky who was sitting at the front desk who smiled and waved back.

"Well, well, well, well, well." A very smiley McPhee came up to join him. "I see the uniform still fits after these long, long years."

"Yeah. It really hasn't been that long, but-" Larry smiled, smoothing down his uniform jacket.

"So to what do we owe this 'triumphant' return?"

"I sold my company."

"Ah I see."

"Yeah."

"So you'll stick around for a bit longer this time?"

"I'm sticking around," Larry confirmed with a smile.

"Oh, good. Cause, you know, as far as night guards go, you're the - b-best." It sounded like McPhee forced out the word.

"Excuse me, Mr. Night Guard, but could you point me in the direction of Ancient Egypt, I'm always getting lost." Larry chuckled as Nat appeared at his side.

"Ah, Miss Bentley. I was just remarking to Mr. Daley here about the success of this new Night Program. You know, I wasn't so sure about it at first, but now-" He finished with a content sigh.

"It is a pretty cool idea," Nat agreed.

McPhee shook his head in disbelief. "Today's technology is beyond me."

"I know, so lifelike." Larry and Nat shared a knowing smile, their arms around each other.

McPhee watched them. "Wait, you two, you're not, not-" He waved a finger back and forth between them. "Like, together-together, are you?"

The two in question exchanged a knowing glance, then turned back to the director. Eyebrows raised, McPhee sauntered off.

Nat and Larry stifled a laugh. "I guess we're just a really awful couple," Nat joked.

"Yeah, guess so."

"And did I hear McPhee call you the best or am I hearing things?

"No he said it, or tried to at least."

"He's right you know." She smiled up at him. "Well, I'd better get back to Egypt. Ahk and I left the tablet with Dexter, so you never know what he'll get into. We don't want a repeat of last time."

"No we don't. It was kind of exciting though."

"It was. Like Amelia said, it was an adventure."

* * *

"So where are we going?" Nat asked a few days later as Larry led her through Manhattan.

"You'll see." He grinned.

A few minutes later they arrived at the bustling, colourful Times Square.

"Here we are," he said, stopping.

"Okay." She looked around. "What are we doing?"

"This." Before she could ask more questions, he dipped and kissed her. For a moment she was confused, but then it clicked - just like 'War's End Kiss'.

When they pulled away she smiled. "Smooth Daley, very smooth." They chuckled and kissed again.

 _Aww! So I don't know about you guys but I've been waiting for such a moment ;) Haha! So unfortunately we don't get the cute scene between Larry and Amelia's look-alike (I always liked that scene!) but hopefully this worked! Thanks so much for reading and now, without further ado, onto Part Three!_


	17. Tablet Troubles

Hello and welcome to Part Three! :) Hope you enjoy!

 **Part Three**

 **Secret of the Tomb**

 **The British Museum, London**

* * *

Seventeen

Tablet Troubles

 _Five years later..._

"How are we doing Sac?" Larry asked.

"Rexy is waxed and buffed, Teddy is grooming his mustache. Oh and I've reviewed fire safety procedures with the Neanderthals."

"Good, good."

"By the way have you seen them lately? The museum has added a new one."

"What? No." He cleared his throat and then addressed everyone. "Okay, everybody. I don't want to make you nervous but the mayor and the governor are out there. It's going to be a great crowd out there tonight guys, but remember, just relax and have fun!"

"Why Lawrence, if anyone seems nervous, it's you," said Teddy, entering the room, mustache freshly groomed, Sac at his side.

"Ah naw - well, maybe just a little..."

Teddy grinned. "Yes, like myself, the Battle of San Juan Hill, cool as a cucumber. Right now, butterflies like you wouldn't believe. But it's not just the show that has you giddy, is it my friend?" He smiled knowingly, and leaned in closer and whispered, "tonight's the night, yes?"

Larry nodded. "Yeah, after the show, that's the plan."

Teddy and Sac grinned. "Well the best of luck to you my friend! Oh, might we be permitted to see the diamond?"

Larry reached into his suit pocket and withdrew a small ring box, opening it to show an engagement ring.

"Oh Larry it's beautiful!" Sac said. "She'll love it!"

"Indeed, Miss Bentley is in for a splendid surprise tonight," Teddy said. "Speaking of-"

Larry quickly pocketed the ring again as Nat herself entered the room. She was dressed in a plum purple dress for tonight's event, and her blonde hair was braided with black and white beads woven into it. She came over and joined them.

"Hey, you look very nice," he complimented.

"Thank you, you as well." They shared a kiss. "I didn't know what to do with my hair so Sac braided it for me. Hey, you alright?" she asked. "You seem extra nervous tonight."

"Oh no, just pre-show nerves," he replied. Sac and Teddy shared a knowing smile.

"Hey by the way, have you seen the Neanderthals lately?"

"No, why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Larry, Natasha." Ahk came over then, looking distressed. "You'd better come see this."

"Have you ever seen it like this before?" asked Larry. He, Nat, and Ahk now stood in the Ancient Egypt exhibit before the tablet, which had started turning black with corrosion in one of the corners.

"Never." Ahk shook his head. "The corrosion has never happened before. It's always been the same."

"Hmm, I wonder what's up with it." Larry shone his flashlight on it.

"I have no idea," answered the young pharaoh. "And to be honest, my father knew the secrets of the tablet better than I did."

"Merenkahre," said Nat.

Ahk nodded. "Unfortunately he swore he would never reveal them. And he kept his promise."

"That makes sense," added Nat. "So much research has been done, but there's very little information out there about the tablet. Lots of theories, but not a lot of certainty." She knelt down before it and gently touched the corroding surface with her fingertips. "It's funny, it doesn't look like corrosion from age. I've never seen this kind of corrosion before."

Suddenly, and without warning, Ahk stumbled back, appearing faint.

"Whoa-" Larry caught and steadied him. "You alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine."

"Okay, just take it easy out there tonight, we'll deal with this tomorrow. Right now, it's showtime."

From her seat in the audience, Nat gave Larry a thumbs-up. He smiled and waved back. Then the show started.

At first, everything was running very smoothly, the show a huge success. Teddy delivered his speech, Dexter did some tricks, and the constellations wowed everyone. But then, suddenly, the unexplainable happened: Teddy began shouting gibberish, resulting in much confusion from everyone. When Larry tried to intervene, Teddy threatened him at gunpoint.

A stampede of animals and people charged into the hall, sending the many guests jumping to their feet and running for the doors, screaming. Through the sudden commotion, Nat tried to reach Larry, ask him what was going on, though he appeared just as baffled as she was - even the head of the Night Program had no idea what was going on. As she was running, her feet were suddenly knocked out from beneath her and she crashed to the floor hard. Looking back, she saw Jed and Octavius and their fellow Romans and frontier folk holding a rope, tripping people as they ran by, including her.

Dexter pounced on Larry, attacking him. Teddy was still shouting. The constellations were whizzing about wreaking havoc of their own, and Attila was hacking away at an ice sculpture with his sword. And, as if to finish everything off, Rexy came bounding into the hall with a great roar.

The guests fled screaming from the hall, leaving it a deserted mess. And then, just as suddenly as it had started, everything stopped.

 _Yay Part Three, my favourite part! :) I guess it's been exactly a month since I updated last - hope you enjoyed, thanks so much for reading!_


	18. The Perfect End to a Perfect Night

Eighteen: The Perfect End to a Perfect Night

A disheveled Larry paced before the lobby staircase where a group of very ashamed exhibits sat.

"I honestly don't know what happened out there tonight guys, but it was really, really weird." He turned to Teddy who was standing off to the side with Sac. "I mean, Teddy, what were you doing pointing a gun at me?"

"Forgive me, Lawrence," said the president sorrowfully. "I don't know what came over me."

"Do you even remember that?"

"Not at all."

Dexter chittered.

"Hey you're not innocent here either, Dexter. You almost ripped my face off!"

Dexter chittered again, this time it sounding a lot like laughter, and he stuck his tongue out.

"Ah give him a break, Gigantor, can't you see he feels terrible? Hell, we all do!" cried Jed.

Larry rubbed his hands over his face. "I have McPhee to face, the board to face, the chairwoman to face - I have to come up with some sort of explanation. And I was going to propose to my girlfriend tonight, but I guess that's not happening anymore." Nat wasn't present, she and Ahk had gone to inspect the tablet again.

There was silence. Everyone felt awful.

"Look, I don't even know where to begin figuring tonight out, or if it was even real. I know how much you guys love this night program, and I love it too but now we're really going to have to get things back together if we want to continue this. So first thing's first: we figure this out." With that, the unpleasant meeting drew to a close.

Both exhausted and confused, Larry and Nat returned to their Manhattan apartment. While they were getting on the elevator, Larry's cell phone rang.

He looked at it and sighed. "It's Dr. McPhee." Nat gave him a small smile and pat on the arm. He sighed again before answering the call and facing their boss.

Nat winced as she could hear the museum director yelling from the other end, Larry holding the phone away from his ear while trying to apologise.

"Listen, I promise I'll figure out what happened-" His words trailed off as they approached their apartment, where loud music could be heard from inside. "Look, I'm sorry, Dr. McPhee, I gotta go." With that Larry hung up. He and Nat exchanged a glance before heading inside...

It was total chaos in there, almost as bad as the show tonight. The apartment was full of teenagers all dancing to electronic music being played by none other than Nick. They had just walked in on a high school party taking place in their living room.

Food and cups littered the floor, and everyone was shouting while trying to talk over the music. They pushed their way through the crowd towards where Nick had set up his DJ equipment.

"Hey!" shouted Larry. Nick froze when he saw them. "Nicky! Nicky!" Larry pulled the plug for the speakers, abruptly cutting off the music, and Nat turned on the lights.

"Hey!" protested the teenagers.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Nicky cried.

"What are you doing?" Larry shot back. "It's three a.m. Party's over. Everybody out!"

Slowly, the kids began to file out the door. A couple of girls came over to Nick.

"See you tomorrow night?" one asked him.

"Probably not," said Larry.

"Probably," Nick answered, giving her a smile.

"Definitely not," said Larry. When at last, everyone was gone, he turned to his son. "Nicolas Daley, you're in so much trouble."

"I know," sighed Nick.

Half an hour later, they had cleaned up a lot of the apartment between the three of them.

Larry was down on his knees vacuuming chips and popcorn out from under the couch. "Hey Honey, do we have a flashlight somewhere?" he asked. Nat paused from wiping spilled soda off the counter - it looked like someone had taken the bottle and dumped it onto the counter - and opened one of the kitchen drawers, handing him his own Glow-in-the-Dark Flashlight.

"Really?"

She shrugged. He took it anyway.

"I didn't really know you'd be coming home early," Nick said in his own defence.

"Yeah that's pretty obvious," said Larry, getting to his feet, an irritated edge to his voice. As if what had gone on at the museum tonight hadn't been enough. "I mean, what makes you think this is okay?"

"When I'm not at Mom's you leave me alone, like, every night," argued Nick.

"Look, you can't be doing this right now, okay. You've got finals, your NYU application is due in what, two weeks?"

"Oh I'm not gonna get into NYU," Nick stated knowingly.

"You don't know that."

"No, I do."

"You don't know that."

"I do, very much know that, in the sense that I don't intend to apply."

There was a pause before Larry spoke again. "What?"

"I don't think it's the place for me right now, Dad."

"Okay, alright that's fine, you want to spread your wings a little, go to school somewhere else. I totally support that all you've got to do is tell me. So what's the list?"

"Uh, well, it's a pretty short list..."

"That's okay, I like that, it means focus."

"Larry, I don't think that's quite what he means," piped up Nat. She always felt a little awkward during these conversations, not really feeling in the position to have an opinion. After all, Nick wasn't her son, but she still wanted to be supportive to him.

"Thank you, Nat," said Nick before turning back to his dad. "Imma hit you with a super short list man cause there's nothing on it."

Now it clicked. "What?"

"Dad," said Nick, rising to his feet. Larry looked a little taken aback. "I want to take a year off. I want to do exactly what you just said and spread my wings a little."

"You want to spread your wings that's great but you can't spread your wings and fly to nowhere."

"That's very poetic but plans change-"

"No they don't-"

"Yeah they do..."

"No, plans don't change-"

"They do, change," Nat mumbled.

"I know, it's disorienting at first-" Nick continued.

"No, plans don't change unless you talk to the person who's financing the plan who, last I checked, was your mother and I."

There was a somewhat tense silence. Nat broke it. "Alright boys, I don't know about you but I'm exhausted so I'm calling it a night. Let's continue this tomorrow, okay?" She took their mutual silence as agreement, that and she was too tired to care if they disagreed. "Good night."

"Night." She and Larry shared a quick kiss and she headed off to bed, leaving father and son.

As soon as the bedroom door shut behind her, Nick crept over to make sure it was closed so she couldn't hear. Then he hurried back over to his dad. "Did you ask her?!" he hissed.

Larry sighed. "No, I didn't."

Nick gawked. "What, Dad, you've been planning this for weeks, months even! Okay, well maybe not that long but you know what I mean! Come on, man!"

"Yeah, I know, but-" His words trailed off and he sighed again. "Tonight didn't go as planned, so I didn't get the chance. Something's up with the guys at the museum, and I've got to figure out what."

"Okay but you'd better ask soon, I mean you've been together for five years. She'll start to wonder. And then you'll have lost your chance."

Larry nodded, knowing he was right. "Hey, don't change the subject," he said, pointing a finger accusingly at his son.

"You know, good idea, Nat. She's right, let's call it a night-" Nick began to slip away.

"Hey, not so fast young man."

"Dad, we could continue to sit here and have this conversation about plans, but for now, let's just call it a night. Let's not even clean up, right, lets come back tomorrow, reboot the whole energy, and we'll kill it, man! Team Daley, right, not tonight, tomorrow!"

"Hey, Team Daley?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop talking."

"Okay."

"You're going to clean up, I'm going to go to bed, and we'll finish this conversation tomorrow. No exceptions." And with that, he left Nick alone in the dirty kitchen with a mess to face.

Nat was already in her pajamas, flipping through one of her work notebooks.

"How'd it go?" she asked him.

"He's on clean up duty, only fair," he answered, removing his tie. "Do you think I was too harsh?"

"Well, not about the whole party thing, but maybe about the whole college thing."

"Yeah but, he's changing everything on me. I mean, where did this all come from anyway?"

"I know. He's growing up but he's also still a kid, let him live a little. He's still got lots of time to decide."

"Yeah but if you give them too much time, they'll never decide. Like me."

"Well I'd say you turned out alright."

"Yeah maybe, but I want him to do better than that, better than just 'alright'." He sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. "This was the last thing I needed tonight." He sighed and buried his face in his hands.

"I know," she said, putting a comforting arm around him. "Well, they've got to start somewhere, right?"

 _It's been forever and I'm so sorry! I hope this chapter made up for the long wait :) Thank you so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed (as always!)_


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